


When the Darkness Comes

by IHaveNoSoul13



Category: Lego Ninjago
Genre: F/F, F/M, I cried while writing this, I just reposted my own fanfiction from Fanfiction.net okay, I was going to give it the rape/non con rating, I was twelve when I started writing this, I'll add them all later, M/M, One straight couple, also no A/Ns, also this is my farewell to the Ninjago fandom, and it's prostitution and I don't know if that counts, because I want to be done with this bitch, but it's like... not actually in there, i guess, it gets pretty gay too, it's worse because it was on hiatus for eight months, just heavily implied, let me be lazy for now, might return, plus they're cringey, so many characters - Freeform, so much shit happens in this, so the fifteenth chapter and onwards are more recent, started writing this over a year ago so the first fourteen chapters aren't quality, tell me in the comments or whatever, tiny edgelord, unlikely though, we die like men, wow this is going to be a trip
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-10
Updated: 2017-10-11
Packaged: 2018-12-26 00:00:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 21,333
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12047055
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IHaveNoSoul13/pseuds/IHaveNoSoul13
Summary: "I don't remember standing up, but, then again, I don't remember falling down. I don't remember waking up but, then again, I don't remember falling asleep."Maybe it's better to forget.





	1. Before the Story...

I have left the Ninjago fandom. I will be writing few fanfictions as a whole. I have moved onto writing original works, such as  _The Blood Series_ and the original story version of  _When the Darkness Comes_.

You will be reading the Ninjago fanfiction version of it. The original story will be much better, both in writing style and in execution. I have a solid plan and can fall back on this.

This... was very interesting to write.

Of course, as I am lazy and have a lot to do, I won't be rewriting the thing from scratch. I'll be copying and pasting all twenty chapters, from Fanfiction.net to Archive of Our Own. This is an author's note, explaining this.

On the subject of author's notes, I won't be adding them because they are... very embarrassing. And they only make sense on the birth place of the fanfiction.

Anyway, by the time you read this, I'll probably have uploaded all twenty chapters. Unless you're reading this the very same day I published this - in that case, wait.

There is a lot of death in this, it's an edgy story. It's an apocalypse story too.

Now, onto the content...

There will be triggering content in this story. There will be murder, there will be prostitution, there will be arson, there will be massacres, there will be insanity, there will be suicide, there will be trauma, PTSD, child abuse, animal death, torture, kidnapping, tyranny, you name it, it's probably in here. It's the apocalypse, anything goes. Well, some things don't go. Some people do try to stop the prostitution... That was an exaggeration.

This is going to be some really disturbing writing. I was really edgy when I wrote this. Now... I'm still edgy but not so much. But it ends with a bang.

You're probably going to either love it or hate it. It's a weird story. But yeah. This is the opening introduction to  _When the Darkness Comes_ , I hope you'll enjoy it (or at least the last five chapters, Chapter Fifteen and onwards are my more recent writing.

I'll be surprised if I get any comments or kudos on this first chapter but whatever. 

Thanks for clicking on the story! 

~Soul/Tristan/Viktor.


	2. Start Anew

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Neuro wakes up to find a voice talking in his head. Turns out the voice in his head has an interest in employing him. Perhaps finally, he'll have this apocalypse explained to him.

Sit down on the chair - the floor might be hollow or dirty or infested - and follow my instructions.

Put on the clothes I set out - black trousers that will hang loosely from your body, a black shirt for you to tuck in, black trainers, black socks and a black balaclava - and don't question the choice of clothing. You'll need it.

Put on the gloves, leather and black.

There are bags in the kitchen, take them and take all the food, drinks and anything else you can find after you close the curtains. Turn off the lights too, make it seem like no one is ever coming home - this house is abandoned and we want it to seem like such.

There's a car outside. There's a gun, sword and shield in there. I guarantee someone will see you, so you better think fast and kill them. Don't bother hiding them, don't touch them, take the weapon. Kill them with the sword.

You'll find me at this address, kid.

_I told you not to call me that._

I know what you'll say, and have you looked in the mirror?

You look ten. Lucky you, unable to remember a thing other than your Element.

_It's an Element?_

Questions later. Answers even later. Right now, you need to get driving. You're young, but at this time in the morning, or night, no one will be driving.

That's why you have the balaclava - best you wear the sunglasses in the car, since your eyes are differently coloured and more easy to recognise.

_Smartass._

I suffer from a large ego. Hurry up.

**fucKer you'll never know my nAme. don't ask bItch.**

_You're not very subtle, are you?_

_Gone so soon?_

_I liked him._

Shut the fuck up.

* * *

He entered the building, gun hidden and sword and shield wielded. No one, not even drunks, pranced around so he could slip in quietly.

No one.

Good?

Bad?

He crept down to the next floor, replacing the sword and shield with his gun, and opened the door.

"Boo." His employer whispered from the darkness, making him jump and fly back, gun jumping out of his grasp and onto his chest.

He only sent him a glare before getting up and sitting on the stairs.

"Get the food."

He nodded and took the bag inside, his employer turning on the lights. He squeaked at the sudden light, blinking and almost dropping the bag.

He also got a look at his employer.

Syrup brown hair spiking up, red amber eyes burning brightly and fair skin. However, his left eye was of a robot's and his left cheek, ear and some of that side of his neck were metal.

His mind screamed he should know this guy, but all that came to mind was the letter he'd left, the shadow who'd spoken to him and this image.

Heck, he didn't even know his own name.

"Set the food on the table." A table? Where'd that come from? He did so despite the burning questions and admired the food.

His employer immediately grabbed a piece of bread, the tub of butter and sliced some cheese, putting each one atop each other and eating it. "Hungry?"

Despite the aching hunger, he shook his head. He didn't need to eat...

"Kid, you'd better eat."

"I'm not a kid."

"So you remembered how to speak."

"Funny. Very funny."

"So, kid, what do you remember?"

"My Element... my appearance... Nothing else."

His employer hummed in thought. "Well, I know you."

"I know, sir, but-"

"No, I know you." He poked his chest. "I know your life."

"You do?!"

"I'll start with a proper introduction. I am Kai Smith. I am fifteen, older than you, and I am a former Ninja."

"Former?"

A bitter expression destroyed the facial features of his emplo- Kai - and he decided not to press further.

"Little less than a year ago, the city fell to ruins. See the metal on my face? Got more on my body. People had to be upgraded to survive and, at first, it was working. But then... someone took over. People who'd had a lot of themselves upgraded were taken control of and now it's people like us who have to stop them. That man you stabbed back then? He was going to be one of them."

"And you know that how?"

"I just do, okay?!" Kai snapped at him. He jumped in fear and his emplo- KAI! - sighed. "All right. I'll give you some basic information about yourself. Your name is Neuro. You're fourteen, the second youngest of the Elemental Masters. I grew up with you as a best friend and you had dreams to become a scientist until your mother was shot dead by one of them. You never knew your father. You are presumably an only child since I never met a sibling."

Neuro. Fourteen. Cool.

"Now - eat. You're allergic to peanuts." Kai handed him a cheese and tomato sandwich. "And you hate cucumber but love gherkins which are basically pickled cucumber."

He raised a brow at him and bit into the sandwich, flavours flooding into his mouth and down his throat.

One day, he'd been awake, then everything was black for three seconds and he woke without any memories other than his Element and being awake and the darkness.

He looked up at Kai and warmly smiled. Kai didn't smile back though, and he turned away and began sorting through his weapons, scratching his neck constantly. His right side of the neck though.

"Sun's about to rise Kai," He spoke to break the silence which had dragged on for less than two hours. "What do we do?"

Kai looked up, twitching a little. "What we do, little man. We hunt."

* * *

_"Go!" Their leader had yelled, and he remembered the thrill of the chase and the pain in his legs. He collapsed with a cry, and reached out to another one of his team, who pulled him off the ground and helped him move.  
_

_"Stop!" They all halted immediately, wondering what the problem was.  
_

_"What's up?" He'd asked, not him but the one helping him, and, aside from a mumble, there was no response. "What's going on?"  
_

_"I think they've trapped us."  
_

_And the bloodbath began._

* * *

Kai awoke, eyes shooting open and body in a cold sweat. He didn't sit up, instead gazing at the ceiling, shaking and gasping.

"Kai!" There was that voice, sweet and innocent - well, more innocent than he or anyone else in this harsh reality could ever be. He grunted in response and got himself dressed, grumbling about the... early wake-up.

It was fucking five in the fucking morning.

What was Neuro playing at? He went into the other room - the building was theirs, you entered at the top floor and everything like the kitchen or dining room or bathroom was underneath the ground, the top floor being an 'abandoned' shop.

There were quotations around 'abandoned' because Kai had learnt the hard way that abandoned buildings weren't quite empty.

It was like an upside down flat, you could say.

He entered the room Neuro had called from, the kitchen, and he saw him putting together a sandwich with one in his mouth like a puppy held his toy. He'd clearly made a cheese sandwich, and while that wasn't his favourite (but how was Neuro supposed to know that?), he appreciated the gesture.

"For you!" Neuro handed him the sandwich, not bothering to remove the one from his mouth, eyes smiling for him.

Kai took it and nodded a thanks, eating it slowly as he watched his young employee take the sandwich out of his mouth and eat. The bread was crumbly and as a result bread crumbs fell into their laps, but, let's be honest, it wasn't as if either of them were about to care.

"So, kid, ready for your first hunt?"

"I don't see why you didn't let me go on yesterday's."

"Too many for a newbie, and you were as hungry as fuck. You needed to eat and the enemy could use your hunger against you." Kai explained with a roll of his eyes. "But you've eaten a lot now, and since it's near morning, you can go on a hunt with me."

"Kai?"

"Hm?"

"Did I fight any battles before I... you know."

"I can't recall. You're not the only one with a bit of lost memory."

"I'm not?"

"No. You're one of the survivors who have amnesia, and the only Elemental Master. It may be natural, like trauma or you hitting your head or the like, but a couple of amnesiacs had them," He meant the enemy and Neuro knew it. "Store their memories in a chip and set them free. It's meant to be bait - family and friends would come to find them and then-" Kai froze.

He could still hear the screaming.

"And then what?" Neuro asked.

"The family and friends and amnesiac are either slaughtered or they become one of them."

"..."

"We started realising what they were doing so we stopped rescuing them. They sent ransom notes, threatened their lives but we had stopped caring." His voice was cracking now. "We didn't expect them to perform their death threats. We tried to attack them, but... We'd gone in with a plan and came out with half of us left and the other half mindless drones chasing us. So we stopped planning."

Neuro looked at his palms. "Was I one of those amnesiacs? One of the traps?"

"Doubt it."

He frowned. "Why?"

Kai smiled and ruffled his hair a little. "You're alive and have your mind."

* * *

 

"Go!" Kai ran out into battle, guns blazing and swords unsheathed. He shot one drone and stabbed another and deflected a hit.

Neuro was at his back, refusing to leave him to fight these drones, and protecting his back.

"I said GO!"

"You can't protect yourself and you know it! Where do you want me to go?! If I go back to where we're staying, they'll follow me!"

Kai gave a hum before lifting him up (pretty easy actually) after putting his weapons away. He held him on a shoulder and ran for his life, Neuro yelling profanities and furious screams. "Shut up, midge."

"I'm not a midge!"

"One of these days I swear I'm going to hand you over to the drones."

"Funny." Neuro muttered. "THEY'RE STILL AFTER US!"

"Then shoot them! Jeez, kid, use your head."

"THESE ONES ARE FULL METAL!"

"What?"

"THEY HAVE NO FLESH!"

"So they're making robots too."

"What do I do?"

"Use your Element!"

"Okay. Uhhh..."

"Don't tell me you've forgotten how to use it."

"Sorry."

"Don't be sorry." He dropped Neuro on the floor carelessly. "Slice anything that comes behind me. I'll deal with the Metal Men."

"How?!"

"You'll see." And then his hands caught on fire. Neuro's eyes widened, the dark grey eyes with icy blue flecks reflecting the flames.

"You're an Elemental Master too?"

"Bingo. Slice them!"

He leapt at the robots, as if he had years of training, the flames melting the robots at anytime they met with it. He kicked and punched and leapt and Neuro was transfixed on the sight.

Of course he could do this - Kai had been a Ninja.

"NEURO!"

The yell brought him crashing down to reality and he attacked anything that tried to harm Kai or himself.

There was soon nothing but pools of metal, robots' insides and cyborg corpses, excluding the two who'd done this.

Neuro looked at Kai, who was groaning in pain. "It's been too long since I've done that."

"You gonna be okay?"

"Let's go back."

* * *

 

"How's he doing?"

"He's fine, sir."

"What about the other one?"

"He's fine too, sir."

A pair of thin lips parted to release a sigh. Slender fingers tightened on a sword handle.

"Is everyone fine in the world?"

"..."

"Well?!"

"No sir. The drones are dying and even the robots have weaknesses we missed."

Those thin lips barely parted to release a growl. "Well. We'll have to fix that." The owner of the thin lips and slender fingers stood, taking gloves into his hand and putting them on slowly and menacingly.

"Sir? What are you doing?"

He paced toward the informant slowly.

"Sir?"

His lips came an inch away from the informant's. "What's been coming a long time." He pulled the informant into a deep and sensual kiss.

And killed him.

* * *

"Neuro!" Kai rolled his eyes as his new student stuffed his mouth with the spaghetti the surprisingly good cook (Kai) had made, speaking as he ate (something about how it 'tasted familiar' - perhaps something from his past?). "Don't eat so fast - it'll last longer and you'll feel like you ate more."

"But it's SO GOOD." Neuro, muffled of course since his face was still half stuffed with spaghetti and meatballs, protested, tomato sauce and short strings of spaghetti flying out.

Unamused, Kai tentatively wiped his right cheek with his middle finger, both to wipe off the tomato sauce that had landed on it and to give the telepath a clear message.

They heard a voice yelling from outside, "OPEN UP KAI!" They both froze, Neuro chewing the food in his mouth and swallowing it quickly, Kai rolling his eyes at the actions and waiting. "I KNOW YOU'RE IN THERE!"

"That voice... why's it so familar?" Kai mumbled as he grabbed his gun and Neuro grabbed his sword and gun. "Let's go."

They crept up the stairs and BANG! Kai shot at the door, which was like a window in a door frame with a handle, leaving a considerably large crack in it, the person outside jumping back. Kai ran up the door and swung it open, both he and Neuro aiming their guns at the caller.

Kai's eyes widened, he lowered the gun and whispered a single name.

"Lloyd?"

Neuro frowned slightly, staring at the caller. Male, light blonde hair, emerald green eyes and fair, paler than Kai's and wearing green casual clothing, consisting of a T-shirt, jeans, trainers and a jacket. His chest showed off a little metal, so it probably meant he'd had some of what Kai had had done.

Neuro didn't lower the gun, but instead put his finger on the trigger, not so much of a tremble running through his body, his eyes narrowed and disbelieving.

"Neuro? Neuro, what are you doing? Put the gun down." Kai frowned but the telepath refused to listen, grip tightening on the handle.

"NEURO! LOWER THE DAMN GUN!"

"I tried to read your mind, Lloyd." Neuro stated, voice shaking just that little bit.

"What for? My maker didn't store their plans in me. Not even their gender."

Neuro chuckled. "Robots don't have minds." He dropped the gun, picking up the sword he'd brought with him and attempted to attack the imposter.

Kai lit his hands on fire, knowing guns were useless against the metal that... that someone who had caused the chaos had built the robot with.

"How dare he!" Kai screamed, burning the clothes the robot wore, eyes blazing with a rage indescribable, and continued to attack the robot with his pyrokinesis, it soon a goner and the fifteen year old was left panting and exhausted.

Neuro frowned.

"What's wrong, kiddo?"

Neuro didn't even notice the hated nickname being said. "Kai."

"What?"

"How do you know that robot's creator's gender?"

* * *

_He awoke, chained to a table, looking at the person who'd started the whole apocalypse and built the robots and had done the surgery on those with metal parts. He struggled, his captor laughing at his struggles and placing their hands on his arms and kneeling on his legs.  
_

_"I've really missed you, you know."  
_

_"GET OFF ME! LET ME GO!"  
_

_"Uh, uh, uh. Not yet." Their voice was gentle and striking, but it was all a trick.  
_

_He would not fall under the spell.  
_

_"What do you want with me?"  
_

_"I can give you the one thing you want."  
_

_"Which is..."  
_

_The captor chucked and stroked his cheek.  
_

_"Her."_

* * *

 

Kai sipped as his coffee, holding it with both hands, as it hurt his hands only slightly. He ignored the glare Neuro was currently giving him and drank.

"Kai, I want answers."

Kai looked up, eyes showing faked confusion and disguised pain. "Answers to what, kid?"

Neuro growled slightly and stood. "I can easily read your mind, Kai, I'll find out all your secrets and you won't be able to stop me. So cut the crap and tell me how you know that the person who took over and stripped people of their memories and might have caused the trauma or cause that took my memories! You're supposed to be my friend and you're hiding things from me!"

Kai narrowed his eyes, almost throwing down the coffee mug. "One - I know you Neuro and your threats are always empty! Two - I am not your friend, but your acquaintance and employer! Three - there are some things you shouldn't know, Neuro, and my secrets are either harmful to others or private!"

"One - you know the OLD me! You know the one with the memories! I am a new person who might as well start anew! Two - you're the only one I can trust! Three - I don't need protecting! I can look after myself!"

Kai growled. He slapped the telepath. "Fuck's sake, Neuro! You're too young to understand!"

"I'm fourteen!"

"You might as well be ten because not only do you look like one but you seem to have the ideas and mental age of one too! The world isn't fucking sunshine and roses, and it never was! Some of our friends could be dead and I know one of them is a robot! One of us might not make it out alive!"

"I..."

"This isn't a story, Neuro! It probably won't have a happy ending and you can't get to grips with that!"

The kid looked at his hands, which shook, and fought back the tears at the imaginary sight of Kai or himself dying. He then imagined being younger and watching his mother - whatever she looked like - die by the hands of scientists.

Death happened. People bled. People slept. Death occured.

And the thought that Kai might die or he might die was worse than being impaled.

He burst into tears, and longed for Kai to fall from his bout of anger and hold him and apologise and hug him.

Nothing. He looked up to see Kai clenching his fists and glaring down.

"This is exactly what I mean."

"So you want me to not care about you or myself or anyone else we may meet?! You want me to be like you - selfish and simple-minded and not care about others dying?!"

"I do care! I am not selfish or simple-minded!" Kai retorted. "Neuro, I live with the fact that death is inevitable and that it may be lurking around the corner! That's why I'm not going to tell you, Neuro. If he finds out either of us know, our chances of survival will lessen and the amounts of deaths will shoot up through the roof, through the atomsphere, shoot past the stars and hit the First Spinjitzu Master in the penis."

Neuro frowned in confusion at the weird wording but understood the basics. He nodded slightly.

Then came the hug that Neuro had yearned for.

"Neuro, I do care. I lost all my friends and family, either to death, possibly to evil or they ran. I'm not going to lose you as well. You're my last hope."

Neuro nodded and softly smiled. "Kai?"

"Hm?"

"You're my last hope too."

"That's cheesy as fuck." Kai smirked and pulled away, ruffling Neuro's hair. He looked at his watch. "2am. Best we go to bed."

"Carry me."

"What?" Kai carried an amused smirk. "What do you mean?"

"I'm lazy. Carry me."

Kai frowned. "I'm lazier."

"Kai carry m-"

"No!"

The yell was sudden and adrupt and even Kai flinched at it. Neuro began to stand up, understanding that this was not the time for joking, before Kai sighed and picked him up.

"Come on, lazy boy. Bedtime."

Neuro smiled and nuzzled his chest into Kai's warm chest.

Kai chuckled and jokingly said, "You lazy fucking sod."

* * *

_"7pm. Best you go to bed."_

_"Carry me."  
_

_"What?" Kai carried an amused smirk as his little sister reached up to him. "What do you mean?"  
_

_"I'm lazy. Carry me." Nya protested, holding her arms to him with a little grin.  
_

_Kai frowned jokingly and teased. "I'm lazier."  
_

_"Kai carry me!"  
_

_"No."  
_

_"Kaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaiiiiiiiii."  
_

_"Fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiineeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee."_

* * *

_The leader was breathing heavily, Kai held tears in his eyes.  
_

_"7pm. Heh. Time I went to sleep."  
_

_"No..."  
_

_"Kai carry me."  
_

_"What?" Kai carried an confused and tearful frown as his leader reached up to him. "What do you mean? This isn't the time."  
_

_"I'm lazy. Carry me." The leader protested, holding their arms to him with a weak, little smile. "Carry me to the memorial..."  
_

_Kai cried quietly as the leader bled out, a gaping hole in their chest. "  
_

_"Kai... carry me."  
_

_"But... What if you die before we make it?"  
_

_"Kaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaiiiiiiiii."  
_

_Sobbing audibly now, Kai picked the leader up and nodded. "Fine."  
_

_He ran to the memorial, desperately wanting to grant his leader's dying wish, whispering to them to stay awake.  
_

_He laid the dying soul at the statue. The leader chuckled, smiled up at the statue and then going still.  
_

_Eyes white as snow._

* * *

 

Kai sat in thought as he watched Neuro sleep, not really watching as it blurred into the background as he... thought.

He could not sleep - after the memories that plagued him in the rest, he'd given up - and he noticed Neuro looked somewhat... sweet when he slept.

He was hugging his chest, knees to his chest and a smile graced his features. Despite the situation Kai'd dragged him into two months ago, the boy had still the capability to smile and laugh and be happy with ease.

Kai didn't have the capability to do that easily anymore.

He smiled absent-mindedly as dawn cracked over the skies. He usually would shake Neuro awake but today he'd be nice and let him sleep for a few hours longer.

Neuro's eyes fluttered open and he wearily looked up at Kai. "Kai? Were you watching me sleep?"

"Uh..."

Neuro tiredly chuckled and sat up. "I don't really care, Kai. Can you go make breakfast? I'm hungry."

"Sure, kiddo." He ruffled Neuro's hair, the telepath giving a tired murmur before flopping back to sleep. "Never mind."

He chuckled as Neuro lay like a crooked starfish in his sleep, wondering how such a messy position could turn into a neat and tidy one.

He ran a hand through Neuro's hair gently, careful not to wake him.

Maybe Neuro wasn't family, maybe he wasn't like his brothers or sister.

But Kai supposed he'd do.

 

 

 

 


	3. Past Thoughts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Memories are bittersweet. Kai remembers life before the apocalypse but wishes he didn't. Neuro doesn't remember life before the apocalypse but wishes he did.

_"Didn't you have any other friends aside Nya before you joined the Ninja team?" He looked up from his meal at the Sensei before shrugging._

_"Probably."  
_

_"Where are they now?" Kai turned to Cole, the speaker.  
_

_"Dunno. Probably became scarce when our father died when I was eleven."  
_

_Cole frowned. "Why's that?"  
_

_There was a deadly silence, Kai's gaze returning to his food and digging his knife into his meal just that little more harshly after the question. He felt their eyes on him so he elbowed Nya and gave a small nod, not looking up, but the smallest of sparkling in his eyes as he threatened to cry.  
_

_"After our dad died since our mother died giving birth to me, Kai became somewhat... abusive."  
_

_"You make me sound like a monster."  
_

_"He was severely depressed and he got into a gang and convinced them to give him some cigarettes. He drank for a longer period of time and he would attack anyone who tried to calm him down, even me. One day, the gang thought it would be a laugh for him to take some drugs, but they gave him too much and he almost died. He quit the gang, took him months to get off the alcohol and cigarettes and dedicated his life to becoming a humble blacksmith."  
_

_"You make it sound so dramatic. I went through a hard time, that's all."  
_

_"You smoked, Kai. That's extreme."  
_

_"Why did you even ask about if I had some friends before life as a Ninja?"  
_

_"Just wondering."_

* * *

_"You all were so happy, Kai. Then you ruined it."  
_

_"That's not true!"  
_

_"YOU LET THEM DIE, KAI! YOU WERE THE LAST ONE TO TALK TO YOUR LEADER, YOU MADE NO ATTEMPT TO PREVENT THE DEATH!"  
_

_"THERE WAS NOTHING I COULD DO!"  
_

_"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA YOU EXPECT THEM TO BELIEVE THAT?!"  
_

_"..."  
_

_"DO YOU?!"  
_

_"..."  
_

_"DO YOU?!"  
_

_"No."_

* * *

 

_Kai huffed as he walked through the city of Ninjago, hands in his pockets. He then thudded into a smaller being, and looked down.  
_

_"Neuro! I haven't seen you since I was eleven! How've you been? You haven't changed a bit!"  
_

_The young teen opened his mouth to speak before a taller being rushed forward, followed by two other teens. "Neuro! Don't run off like that!" The dark haired teen, presumably sixteen, exclaimed, grabbing his wrist.  
_

_"Hey!" Kai yelled, stepping forward.  
_

_"Who're you?" The same teen stepped forward, huffing.  
_

_"Who are you to grab his wrist like that?"  
_

_"Guys... people are staring..." Neuro muttered, staring at the ground blushing as people stared.  
_

_"I won't repeat it again - who are you?"  
_

_"The name's Kai Smith - one of the Ninja!"  
_

_"What, the ones apparently meant to be protecting the city?"  
_

_"Apparently?!"  
_

_"Shadow! Leave Kai alone!" The tallest of them all demanded, pulling the stone coloured teen away. "Sorry."  
_

_"It's cool. So, who're you?"  
_

_"Oh, these are my roommates - or brothers as we seem to be - and this is Kai."  
_

_"Hmph. The name's Shadow."  
_

_"Name Karloff." The tallest teen smiled.  
_

_"And the one on his phone is Griffin."  
_

_"It's a pleasure to meet you." Kai smiled fakely, not truly in the mood for greetings.  
_

_"Kai was my friend since I was about two. I haven't seen him much since I was ten though..."  
_

_"Why?"  
_

_"Enough about me. Tell about you."_

* * *

_"I bet everyone in the team hates you. I wouldn't be surprised if everyone you used to love hates you!"  
_

_"No... NO!"  
_

_"Yes, Kai! You made so many mistakes and people will come to hate you! Even he will hate you once he finds out your secrets, and you will once again be alone! No one loves you anymore Kai. You wanted independence, and now it's being served on a silver platter for you with the wine of betrayal! But now you've got a taste of dependence, trust and friendship and you don't want to be forced to eat the meal that's so inferior to the one you've just sampled!"  
_

_The one who began this crept up to him, holding a spoon holding blood, crazed smile.  
_

_"So I suppose I'll have to force feed you."_

* * *

 

Kai awoke from the daydream, looking around the basement. He stifled a sigh and tried to recall what he was doing when...

"Ha!" Neuro leapt upon him, wrapping his legs around his stomach and hugged his neck tightly. "Ah it's coooooold!"

Kai almost jumped in fear but rebalanced himself and laughed. "Funny, haha. Off, so I can make lunch."

"I'll do it." Neuro insisted as he jumped off Kai's back.

"You just don't want to keep watch again, do you?"

Neuro rolled his eyes. "I just want to let you relax."

Kai frowned and turned around. "Neuro, in the two months you've known me, you haven't learnt that I don't relax?"

"I just thought maybe you should try for a little while. Maybe write or draw or even sleep. You need the sleep."

_"You need to sleep more Kai."_

"No I don't."

"Fine. Have it your way." Neuro lifted a hand to wave off the protests and took out his gun and sword. "But I won't be the one looking in a mirror, asking who's the loneliest of all."

Kai watched him depart upstairs and frowned. He made the lunch, falling back into the unwanted memories.

* * *

_"You're not as bad at cooking as I expected!" Jay chuckled, biting into the bacon, which, to his request, had the fat stripped off (Cole'd taken it of course). "Not as good as Zane though, but that's impossible."  
_

_"Yeah!" Lloyd agreed, the child nomming happily on the meal. "This is great!"  
_

_"After Dad died, Kai took up cookery classes. He was so good when they had to bake cakes!"  
_

_"N-Nya!"  
_

_"I'm only telling them the truth!"  
_

_Kai grumbled, a faint blush on his face. He soon cracked a smile and laughed along with the others. Zane ruffled his hair and he playfully swatted his hand away.  
_

_He was certain it would be this way forever._

* * *

_"How wrong you were."  
_

_"No..."  
_

_"You watched your leader die. You did nothing. You are as evil as the one who started this. You caused the one who began this to begin it. Their deaths are your fault. Their lost memories are your fault. Your loneliness is a consequence of your actions. And of course, you refuse to take the blame because that's your personality! You see your strengths, when they are outnumbered by your flaws!"  
_

_"No..."  
_

_"Yes, Kai!"  
_

_"..."  
_

_"Kai... You can escape this."  
_

_"No I can't."  
_

_"I know you can't."_

* * *

Neuro drew his knees to his chest, absent-mindedly stroking the trigger, holding it loosely so it pointed down to his leg.

He was lost in thought.

He was trying to remember.

His head was in agony, it burned, and he almost screamed in pain as it worsened.

He gave up, the pain too much and thudded back against the wall, panting and groaning. He looked at his gun and back at the window.

He wanted to know more about himself, about his past life, about the people he might have met, the people he'd meet later on, about his mother, the problems his Element caused.

He wanted to know what happened to Kai. What had happened to make him so distant, so angry, so depressed?

What had happened?

His thoughts trailed off his memories to Kai, considering whether he should attempt to read that protected mind - he could sense the barrier Kai'd built around his mind and heart, but Neuro's Element was similar to a wrecking ball and he could break that barrier with ease. Many would ask why he hadn't already, it was clear Kai was holding back a lot from him, so why wouldn't he just read his mind to find out?

Neuro didn't want to.

What if he didn't like what he saw? What if it hurt him? What if it made him insane? What if-

What if it made him hate Kai?

That's why he refrained from reading Kai's mind - he was scared of what he saw.

Kai was right - he was as young as he looked.

A scream echoed from outside, catching him by surprise. His finger accidentally pulled back on the trigger and he shot himself in the leg (he had been on watch, remember, so he'd had it loaded) and he screamed in pain.

"NEURO?!" Kai ran up, eyes reflecting the blood Neuro was currently shedding in his leg. "Oh Spinjitzu Master what happened?!"

"I wasn't focused... I heard a scream... I shot myself." Neuro stammered, the pain blinding him with tears.

Kai hugged him to his chest, reassuring him. "I'll go get the bandages, okay?"

"Don't leave me!"

"Don't worry, I'll be gone for a few seconds, no more." Kai soothed, running down the stairs to get the bandages and first aid kit. True to his word, he was back within ten seconds and used the necessary items on the wound before bandaging it. "We'll see if we can find the hidden infirmary."

"Huh?"

Kai sighed slightly. "Neuro, we aren't the only survivors. Somewhere, the Ninja - or my old brothers, as I used to be one of them - are out there. In the year that's passed without seeing them, I don't know where they are, but there are citizens that survived, including some Elemental Masters. I think one was converted into a drone, but I think they got through to him."

"That's a bit cheesy." Neuro frowned.

Kai shrugged and simply replied that there had to be some elements of happiness and hope in the world, even in the state it was currently in.

He picked Neuro up in his arms and grabbed some ammo and his gun and sword. "C'mon, let's go." With that, he kicked the door open and ran down the streets, wind whipping their faces and rain pelting down. Now and then, they'd see either cyborgs or drones or surviving citizens.

They ran into a bomb shelter from the Elemental War which had been fashioned into an infirmary. Some of the doctors had not a single piece of metal on them while a couple of them had so much it was a wonder why they weren't the enemy. A male doctor rushed over, way too much worry in his eyes to be normal (then again, Neuro held no recollection of previous pharmacy or hospital visits so how could he know - and maybe the worry was because due to them being one of the few survivors and if he died then they'd lose a potentially great fighter) and he asked Kai some questions which passed right by Neuro's ears as he fell into a great slumber.

Kai watched in agony as Neuro was stripped out of his arms and taken away. He placed a hand on the doctor's shoulder and yanked gently.

The doctor turned to meet his eyes, dark grey settling onto red amber.

"Shadow, please, don't let him die. He's all I have left."

Shadow only responded with a nod, the look in his eyes promising to save the one he'd once called younger brother.

* * *

_The eyes bore into him, icy blue settling into dark grey ones with icy blue hints.  
_

_Neuro might have met his father.  
_

_Clouse smiled wryly as Neuro backed away, Karloff at his side. "Won't you make the metal man leave?" The ghost asked, a smug smile settling on his ghostly green features.  
_

_"Karloff no let Neuro face ghost alone!"  
_

_"Karloff, just go."  
_

_"Wha-"  
_

_"Just go!"  
_

_With great reluctance, the Metal Master left the two to their own devices.  
_

_"So tell me, what's stopping me from splashing you with water?"  
_

_"You care for me really? And why would you kill your father?"  
_

_"You're no father to me!"  
_

_"I'm the only father you'll ever get!"  
_

_Neuro turned away from Clouse. "Ugh! I wish I never knew you!"  
_

_"Be careful what you wish for, Neuro." And in that moment, his voice sounded so weary, so old, so tired, so dead.  
_

_But wasn't he dead if he was a ghost?  
_

_When was someone truly dead? Was it when they didn't need to breathe, when their heart stopped beating, when their blood stopped running?  
_

_Or was it when they stopped living?_

* * *

_"That's what happened to you, isn't it?"  
_

_At first, he'd refused to believe it. A month he'd lived in denial, refusing to believe their leader had died, whereas they were suffering with the pain and that's when it had happened.  
_

_The one who had begun the state of the world hit and hurt and strangled and tried to kill him. Then, they ran after they'd been pulled off.  
_

_It was that moment he'd realised the leader was gone and dead and nothing but a corpse.  
_

_And that he'd done nothing.  
_

_Dying wasn't always when you no longer needed to breathe, when your heart stopped beating, when your blood no longer ran.  
_

_For Kai, it was when he stopped living.  
_

_When he stopped burning._

* * *

In the time it took for the doctors to treat Neuro, Kai found a comfort in talking to Shadow, his own voice a quiet murmur, but refrained from telling how he'd been over the year or what had happened to the leader.

"Kai Smith? Neuro's ready to go." They didn't care keep patients for more than a day if it wasn't necessary because, according to Shadow, the Patient Massacre had occurred in the very building little less than six months ago and they were very careful. The Master of Shadow was very sure that, if the world ever pulled itself out of this state, the massacre would make it into the history books. "Kai?"

Kai had been in deep thought about the massacre when he felt someone shake his shoulder gently. "Uh?"

"It was a success - Neuro's leg is pretty much healed."

"You didn't use metal, did you?" Kai frowned, ready to slap them if they made any gesture or said any word that meant yes.

"No, of course not, using metal to heal wounds that are not fatal like yours was is a banned practice and hasn't been used since the early days of the start of this apocalypse. I thought you would have learnt from the newspaper. You were a vivid newspaper reader, Kai, and Jay would joi-"

At the sound of the name, Kai stood and fiercely grumbled, "I'll go get Neuro."

The speaker, a nurse, looked astounded and looked at Shadow to defend her case. Instead of an argument, she received a sigh and a shake of the now doctor's head. "What's his problem?"

"Jay... uh..." Shadow trailed off as Kai came with Neuro in tow.

"Well, we'll be off." Kai's otherwise happy and oddly sweet voice held notable hints of anger, pain and animosity toward her. "Goodbye Shadow, goodbye Skylor." With that, he marched off, almost dragging Neuro behind him.

"Kai, who were they?"

"Kai. Kai, are you listening?"

"Who were they, are they enemies?"

"Do I know them well, Kai?"

"Kai, Kai, Kai, Kai, Kai, Kai."

Kai growled and looked at the vertically challenged telepath. "Shut up, or I'll shoot your skull."

"But-"

"Butts are for sitting." Kai responded with a snap, eyes widening as he realised his choice of phrase.

"Uh?"

"Don't worry."

Neuro gave a small frown as Kai walked on ahead, leaving him to limp. He looked at the makeshift crutch they'd given him and frowned. He looked back at Kai, who'd stopped and turned around slightly so his side faced him but had turned his head to stare. He was also tapping his foot impatiently and gestured for Neuro to hurry up. The younger teen gave a frown and gestured to his leg. The older teen rolled his eyes and turned to walk away. The younger one quickened his pace and grumbled.

Although Neuro didn't see it, the older one smiled and wished he'd never become like him.

* * *

_"But you never get what you want, Kai. You should know that by now. You wanted everyone to remain happy, you wanted the leader to survive, you wanted to finally have a family who was other than your sister..."_

_"Stop, please."_

_"But then you ruined it. Of course, arrogant, selfish, dependent Kai ruined it all by not getting out the way and letting the leader take the blow."_

_"I..."_

_"You became too dependent on them Kai. Why didn't you leave as soon as Nya was safe?"_

_"I..."_

_"Because you started to depend on them, to trust them, to love them. And you know what happens to everyone you love."_

_"Don't remind me."_

_"You loved your parents, and now they're dead. You loved your brothers and sister, and now they're missing or dead. You loved the one who'd been the leader, and_ _you let them die."_

_"I didn't mean to!"_

_"You're not just a waste of space,"_

_The grin on their face was so cruel and it stung him._

_"You're a curse."_

* * *

_Kai watched as his sister and Jay kissed passionately out of thin air - there was absolutely no reason for them to even have feelings for each other that were no less than platonic! Yet, here they were, snogging the heck out of each other. It was kinda cute, he had to admit, but for the sake of being funny, he turned away and exclaimed, "Gross!"  
_

_He couldn't help but smile slightly as they continued despite the cameras upon them and their faces on the TV. He doubted that they even knew, and he was glad his little sister was finally with the one he shipped her with.  
_

_Yes, Kai was a Jaya shipper, Lloyd was a Ronya shipping and Zane cared not. Wu and Misako did not dare meddle in teen love.  
_

_It didn't just make him smile, it made him jealous and annoyed as well - so close he'd come, to having that, but Skylor had decided that she had to uphold the family business (whatever family was; when their parents were alive, they weren't as perfect and happy as Nya and everyone else thought) instead of being with him.  
_

_Between continuing her insane, power-hungry father's business and starting anew with the team, she'd chosen the family business because they weren't her family and perhaps they should have nothing to do with each other.  
_

_It was then Kai decided he hated Skylor, he never wanted to see her face again and Garmadon forbid if he so much as saw her face.  
_

_But for now, he would celebrate the couple which had sprung from nothing with the others, and forget Skylor's existence.  
_

_Love was stupid.  
_

_But Jaya was not._

* * *

_"Their love died in the apocalypse, did it not? They were forced apart and you held the knife that severed the bond. You were so jealous of their love that you played Cupid and ripped them apart. I'm surprised they don't hate you."  
_

_"Oh they do."  
_

_"Oh they do, don't they? I suppose they'd laugh at your state and there would be no sympathy. You didn't sympathise for her when they broke up and they knew that it was your fault and they hated you so, so, so much. You were so close to leaving the team at that point, but Lloyd, oh he begged, he begged so much, and you gave him and you promised him you'd never let anything happen to him or the team. Now look! You're no longer part of the team! I doubt they even noticed your disappearance!"  
_

_"SHUT UP!"  
_

_And this time, it shut up.  
_

_He was left alone with himself.  
_

_Himself, his memories and his depression._

* * *

"Sir! A new batch of corpses ready to be made into robots!"

"Great, great! Just prepare them!"

"There are a couple of live ones, should we kill them?"

"Nah, let them know the pain of being perfected. Let them know the pain of their ties to life being severed before their eyes. Let them know the emotional pain I went through."

"Of course sir."

With that, the lieutenant left swiftly, and he was left alone. He licked his lips slowly, chuckling just that little bit as he thought.

He wasn't ashamed of what he'd done, but proud. He was so very proud of the chaos he'd brought down on the city, he didn't care about their lives.

He just wanted them to fear him like he feared himself.

He was batshit insane.

Not only did it excite him, it scared him.

Help him.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

He didn't need help!

* * *

_Fists of fury!" Lloyd boasted, punching the oven gloves Kai currently wore on his hands, smiling and having fun as Kai smirked. "You can't even see em move I'm so fast!"  
_

_Pulling his pain-free hands to his side, Kai lectured, "Save the gloating, it can only be used against you by the enemy." In the background, Jay exchanged a glance with Zane, presumably holding back a snigger.  
_

_"Oh please, I'm ready to face whatever you throw at me!" He kicked Kai as he jumped up, the Fire Master's head hitting the pots and pans. He felt no pain - the training had left him numb to most pain the kid threw at him - and smirked.  
_

_"Whoa, grasshopper, you're not even ready to face my pinkie toe."  
_

_Wu sipped his cup of tea calmly. "I see the student has become the teacher. You will learn fast Lloyd, with lessons from the four Ninja."  
_

_"Great," Cole interrupted, adjusting a pot on his head. "Now that that lesson is over, how about some target practice? On KAI?!" Kai gulped - the Green Ninja was just a kid, and hadn't mastered his powers yet. However, his brothers...  
_

_"You'll each get your turn, but first I don't want you to be late for your next lesson with Nya."  
_

_Lloyd groaned. "Aw, but when will I learn Spinjitzu?!"  
_

_Wu sighed with a small smile. "Ah, patience, it will only be unlocked when the key is ready to be found."  
_

_Lloyd groaned and walked off, sulking.  
_

_Cole sniggered. "Sound familar?"  
_

_"I wasn't that whiny!" Kai insisted, finding himself next to Jay.  
_

_"No," Zane stated. "You were worse."  
_

_Jay chuckled as the younger Master frowned, pouting just that little bit._

* * *

_"At first you were the second youngest before Lloyd joined, then you were the middle 'child' after Lloyd joined, then third oldest when your sister became a Ninja. Now you're the oldest one because you're alone besides Neuro. You say how childish he acts, how he acts how he looks, but you were so dependent on them, it's a wonder how you weren't babied by them."  
_

_Kai was silent this time.  
_

_Maybe if he ignored it, the voice would go away.  
_

_"Aw, Kai, don't ignore me. As long as you live, you'll never see the back end of me."  
_

_Kai clenched his fists, willing it away.  
_

_"So you want the pain to stop?"  
_

_He nodded.  
_

_"So you want the sadness to go away?"  
_

_He nodded.  
_

_"So you want me to shut up?"  
_

_He nodded.  
_

_And in a dark whisper, the voice hissed, "Kill yourself."  
_

_A pause.  
_

_He refused.  
_

_"Fine then."_

* * *

_When violet eyes get brighter,  
_

_And heavy wings grow lighter,  
_

_I'll taste the sky and feel alive again.  
_

_And I'll forget the world that I knew,  
_

_But I swear I won't forget you,  
_

_Oh if my voice could reach back through the past,  
_

_I'd whisper in your ear:  
_

_"Oh darling, I wish you were here."_

* * *

_Mirror, tell me something.  
_

_Tell me who's the loneliest, of all?  
_

_Mirror, tell me something, tell me who's the loneliest of all?  
_

_Fear of whats inside of me; tell me can a heart be turned to stone?  
_

_Mirror mirror, what's behind you? Save me from the things I see.  
_

_I can keep it from the world, why won't you let me hide from me?  
_

_Mirror mirror, tell me something- who's the loneliest of all?  
_

_I'm the loneliest of all._

* * *

**__** ___I know you're broken down by anger and by sadness,  
_

_You feel I left you in a world that's full of madness,  
_

_Wish I could talk to you, if only for a minute,  
_

_Make you understand the reasons why I did it.  
_

_I wanna tell you that you're all that ever mattered,  
_

_Want you to know that, for eternity, I'm shattered,  
_

_I tried so hard just to protect you, but I failed to,  
_

_And in a prison of abandonment I've jailed you!_

* * *

"You left me in this world."

"I'll never forgive myself."

"I watched you bleed."

"And I did nothing."

"A man of mistakes."

"A child in a man."

"I watched you bleed."

"I could have done anything."

"..."

"But I did nothing."

"And I will never do anything..."

"Right."

 

 

 

 

 


	4. Loneliness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Discoveries are made and the two are reunited with two faces - to Kai, the faces are painfully familiar.

Neuro sat, leg outstretched, eating a sandwich Kai'd made him. He gave a small yawn as the Fire Master ate silently. "Hey."

Kai grunted in response but otherwise he didn't answer.

"How are you?"

A thumbs up.

Neuro frowned, a slight pout forming on his face - not only because Kai was pretty much giving him the silent treatment, but because he had found a cucumber slice in his sandwich.

He found that Kai was right - he hated cucumber.

He spat it out and let out a yell of disgust. "Ugh!"

Kai raised a brow. "Neuro? Are you okay?"

"1. No, because you put cucumber in my sandwich! WHY?! 2. You finally speak!"

"1. I wanted to see if I could kickstart some of your memories with that. 2. Hmph."

"Hmph?" When he didn't reply, Neuro finished off his sandwich and stood - he didn't need the crutch anymore and could walk and run with little pain. He looked at the telepath as he grabbed his gun and sword and walked out. Neuro heard Kai scrambling up like eggs and running over to him.

"What are you doing?"

"Finding the hidden infirmary."

"What, why?"

"To see if there's any medicine that'll help nutcases like you!"

"Oi, oi, oi, there used to be some pretty insane people. Ever heard of Lord Garmadon?"

"From the legend of the Four Faced?"

"The what?" Kai stared on at him in confusion.

Neuro stared back. "You haven't heard it?"

"No. Wait, how do you know it?"

"When I got out of hospital, I read a book about it."

"So tell me, what's the legend?"

"It starts with a snake..."

* * *

 

_A small snake slithered swiftly, a dead gleam in its eyes as it approached the prey.  
_

_It was a silver and red snake with striking copper eyes and a gold tongue, one only legends spoke of, and its prey was a teenager. Red head, brown eyed, fair skinned._

_Many called him Garmadon.  
_

_The snake named him prey.  
_

_The teen saw it, felt no fear and knelt down. In a swift motion, the snake bit his hand and in an agonised cry, the teenager fell back. An adult man ran out, a boy behind. The snake futilely slithered away, being caught by its tail and then killed.  
_

_That night, they ate snake meat.  
_

_Days passed and it was then the boy grew his second face.  
_

_His first face had been the mortal him, the one without the poison, the one with a happy life.  
_

_His second face, the face of the torture and poison which the snake had granted him.  
_

_Desperate to save his eldest son, the old man gave his own soul to the boy, dying in his youngest son's arms, making him promise to protect the weapons. The soul sacrifice did nothing but worsen the eldest, and, at eleven years, the boy was forced to try and heal his sixteen year old brother to no avail.  
_

_Then, a little over ten years later, they were forced to fight, the weapons the younger had sworn to protect protecting him and sending the elder to the Underworld, where he quickly took control.  
_

_It was then the third face was born - the one of evil, the one without guilt, the one so many would come to fear.  
_

_Years passed, centuries, and in a battle for the righteous, he took his fourth face.  
_

_The face that was not his.  
_

_And prior that battle, his third face began to die. His second face whimpered under the pain.  
_

_His first face was screaming and crying to see his son once more.  
_

_Then the fourth face came and broke all their hearts.  
_

_After that battle...  
_

_Three faces died.  
_

_The second face died.  
_

_The third face died.  
_

_The fourth face died.  
_

_And once again, the first face used its eyes, used its mouth, used its nose.  
_

_And he saw his son._

* * *

"That's not just a legend." Kai chuckled.

"Huh?"

"Lord Garmadon was a person - he was once one of my two Senseis."

"He existed?!"

"Yeah. In fact, you met him before the apocalypse. Sadly, he was sent to the Cursed Realm where he's presumed dead. I worked with his-" He paused, eyes depressed and tearful at the memories that returned once again to torture him.

Neuro didn't seem to notice. "Firstly, I feel honoured to have met him-"

"Eh, once you've seen him a couple of times, it's like, 'oh, it's Garmadon, whoop-dee-fucking-do'. Also, he wanted to take over the world, why do you feel honoured?"

"Secondly, the what?"

"I'll explain it to you later, Nerdo."

"Nerdo?"

"Later."

Neuro huffed and continued his journey, Kai rushing after. "So where are you really going, kiddo?"

"I dunno. Suppose I'm gonna just walk around until I see something that interests..." The telepath trailed off as his eye caught a small shop, similar to a gas station but without the ghastly smell and petrol. On the window, there was a poster advertising hot chocolate, and despite the clear aging and the rips in the poster, the hot chocolate looked extremely appetising.

Kai wasn't surprised when Neuro immediately turned to him and clung to his arm, looking up wistfully. "I don't have a say, do I?"

With a shake of the head confirming Kai's thoughts, Neuro dragged Kai into the shop, smiling to contrast Kai's ever-frowning face, and stepped in. As the door tapped it, the bell rung out eerily, the place seeming long deserted, and the mere atomsphere threatened to make Neuro cry. He hugged Kai's closest arm before it was pulled away.

"The hot chocolate is still drinkable, Neuro. We'll get several of them, and if the fizzy drinks aren't flat ye-"

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!"

Neuro shrieked in fear, even Kai jumping and coming near to drop the tubs of cocoa.

Someone rushed into the aisle they were in, anger on his face as his eyes bore into Neuro's, his blue ones blazing with fire as Neuro's unique dark grey ones with icy blue hints cowered.

However, at the moment he turned to glare at Kai, his gaze softened. Kai stepped back, hand trembling so much, he had to place the hot chocolate tubs on the nearest shelf.

"Is that... you?"

"No, it isn't. Just go."

"Don't be so stupid, I know it's you."

"Just leave me alone."

The young man shoved past Neuro and grabbed Kai's shoulders and looked into his eyes. "I thought you'd died!" He pulled him into a frightening hug and held him for a few seconds before releasing him. "Oh Kai!"

Neuro's eyes darted to Kai, looking for answers.

"Neuro... this is one of my old brothers... Zane."

* * *

 

_Zane watched the Fire Ninja pace the room, eyes and hands burning with fire as he grew angrier, having decided to, instead of telling him to calm down (which was easier said than done since this was Kai and not Cole or Nya or Lloyd or Jay), listen to what was making the younger male so upset and hostile.  
_

_"It's not fair Zane!"  
_

_"What is not fair?"  
_

_"Jay and I were only having a bit of a laugh and I'M the one who got in trouble, even though Jay came up with the idea! It's only cause he's faster than me!" The teen stomped his foot down like a young child. Zane often questioned his mental age.  
_

_"What did Jay think of? What was the idea?"  
_

_"..."  
_

_"Kai..."  
_

_"We took some of Sensei's tea."  
_

_Zane gave a small sigh. "And he came up with the idea?"  
_

_"Yeah..."  
_

_"Why'd you do it?"  
_

_"Cause he told me to."  
_

_Zane rolled his eyes. "If Jay told you to jump off a cliff, would you?"  
_

_"Yeah."  
_

_Zane's eyes widened. "Kai if there's anything you want to tell me-"  
_

_"I would because I can use Spinjitzu or something to stop myself from dying."  
_

_"..."  
_

_"Aren't I clever?"  
_

_"...Yes you are."_

* * *

"Wait, he's a Ninja?!" Neuro's eyes widened. Kai nodded, explaining Zane was a robot (Zane noticed he didn't call him a Nindroid like the others had before... Never mind), and some other titbits of information.

Zane smiled at Neuro, who seemed to be studying him, and then watched the fourteen year old walk off to grab some food. He turned to Kai, smile diminishing as he frowned. "I have questions for you."

"Tough, I'm not answering any of them." Kai retorted, turning away.

"You will if you know what's good for you. Where have you been?"

"Why do you care?!"

"Because you're my brother-"

"You were my brother, until I quit."

"-And I haven't seen you for nearly a year! Do you think this is what..." He hesitated. "Our leader would have wanted?"

"SHUT UP!" Kai harshly shoved him and walked away. "Neuro we're leaving!"

"But-"

"C'mon."

"Isn't Zane coming with us?"

Kai paused and turned around the telepath, confused. "What makes you ask that?"

"I read your mind. You want Zane to come with us, because I'm not your brother and he was. You missed him the most because you felt he understood you, but you miss-"

"We get the idea, Neuro." Kai rolled his eyes and turned to Zane. "You coming or not?"

Zane nodded and as the three walked, Zane grabbed Kai's wrist, pulling him back without Neuro knowing. Kai looked at him blankly.

"You better make sure he survives this." That was a command, and Kai nodded slowly.

Satisfied, Zane walked on, catching up with Neuro and talking about some of the battles they'd fought. Kai hung back, taking small footsteps, and watched them.

Something told him that Neuro didn't need him, that Zane could give him more than Kai ever could, that Kai wasn't useful and that he should just die.

That everyone would be happier without his existence.

It was true, he admitted, but Neuro, as of this moment, wanted to pretend he needed Kai, when in truth, it was really the other way around. Had Neuro declined the offer, Kai would have-

"We're here!"

"Neuro, lower your voice." He was silent for a second before adding, "You know, some survivors went absolutely crazy and started to hear voices - these voices either told them to kill themselves or others, and sometimes the insanity was subtle." Zane explained quietly, entering the building after Neuro and Kai. As he said that, whether it was meant to mean something or not, he looked toward Kai, who looked away. The Nindroid hummed in thought.

"Neuro," The telepath looked up. "Go and make us something to eat."

"But-"

"Neuro, that isn't a suggestion."

The Mind Master frowned but then nodded and went downstairs, possibly knowing the excuse.

"You've heard them?" Zane turned to Kai, eyes narrowed, hands on his hips and a serious tone in his voice.

"Heard what?" Kai's cocky attitude came to play, Kai giving a (fake) smug smile, crossing his arms to show he was in control (lies) and a (fake) playful tone in his voice.

"Don't play games with me, Kai, I've dealt with people who've heard voices and you are one of them."

And in that instant, the attitude died, he slumped against the wall and to the floor, eyes downcast. Silent.

"Kai, you need help, and don't deny it. This is what I do. How long have you had the voices?"

Quiet. "A year... And I thought you helped those who can't protect themselves."

"I do. People with voices can't protect themselves from what they hear. I help people get the voices out of their head, similar to what Neuro's ancestor did."

"He did? How do you know?"

"After you left, Sensei taught us about the history, the potential powers we could control, the potential powers Elemental Masters could control."

"Huh?"

"The Master of the Mind, Neuro's ancestor, had the ability to enter minds, like a telepath, and not only read their thoughts, but dispel them too. She was able to destroy doubts, thoughts and even beliefs, memories as well, and then she met a troubled man who had voices in his head. She trained so hard and eventually was able to rid the man of the voices."

Kai frowned.

"I want Neuro to be able to reach that potential. Sensei wants him to as well."

"You can't take him away from me! I won't let you!"

Zane frowned, but a smirk came on his face shortly. "When you left the team nearly a year ago, you told us something, the reason why you left. Tell me, Kai Smith, what did you say?"

"I... I don't remember."

"You said you wanted to be alone - you said you never wanted to see us again - you said you never wanted to see anyone again. So why the change of heart? Why did you ask Neuro to accompany you?"

"Well, he had amnesia so-"

"Was it to help him? Because that's strangely uncharacteristic of you, Kai, since you seem so conceited and sometimes refuse to do things unless they benefit you."

"What are you saying?" Kai ordered, not once moving from his slumped and seated position.

"I don't think it was to help him, I don't think you took him on because he had amnesia and needed help. I think it was to help you, I think you wanted someone to be there and he was the only one available."

Kai was silent.

"I think you did it on selfish intent, that you didn't mean to start caring."

Silence.

"But then you did."

* * *

_"Kai! What are you doing?" His father called from the house, a panicked tone audible in his voice. "Get back here!"  
_

_"I'm only looking at the ocean." He gasped. "Daddy, I can see a boat!" He pointed toward the blue tax collector of water, waving his hand. "Daddy, Daddy, come look!"  
_

_"Kai Smith, get away from the cliff!" His father rushed toward him, scooping him up into his arms, and looked over the cliff edge fearfully. "You should tell me where you're going!"  
_

_"But I was in your sight!"  
_

_"And you weren't with Nya."  
_

_"She's my little sister, I don't have to take her."  
_

_"She's far more mature than you, despite being five. You might as well be two."  
_

_"But-"  
_

_"Kai, I'm not always going to be here, you know that right, and you're going to have to grow up." They'd lost his mother when Nya was born and it hurt their father greatly. "You got that?"  
_

_"Uh huh."  
_

_"Come on, stupid," His father teased, holding him tightly. "Dinner's ready."_

* * *

Neuro threw the plates on the table before each seat, quiet and knowing. He knew why Kai stared at it, he knew why Zane ate and stared at Kai and he knew why he'd lost his appetite.

He wasn't fucking deaf. He might have been out of sight but not out of earshot. He pushed away his plate, mumbling his loss of appetite and Kai didn't budge. Zane just sighed and moved up toward him.

"What's wrong?"

"I heard what you said to Kai."

Zane stuttered an explanation and Kai looked up.

"What happened? Why does he hear voices? Why did you say everything he does is because of selfish intent?"

"Nothing happened, I don't, because it's true."

"But you helped me..."

"No, I helped myself. I only hired you because I wanted someone there and I didn't care how you felt."

"You have helped me!"

"How?"

"You've told me things about my life and have separated fact from fiction, like the Four Faces Legend. You've told me things I couldn't have found out so quickly."

"I-"

"I hate to interrupt but I think someone's breaking in!" Zane pulled out a gun, treading up the stairs slowly, as Kai and Neuro followed.

Someone moved from the shadows, and Kai shot. They, female presumably from the sound of their voice, yelled in pain and slumped to the ground, arm bleeding.

Cherry red hair, gingerbread brown eyes and near tan skin. Kai knew her instantly and despised her. Neuro recognised her from the infirmary and Zane hadn't seen that face in a long time. "And what are you doing here?" The Fire Ninja questioned, scowling.

"I..." She gasped in pain and gripped her arm, tears in her eyes.

"We can ask questions later, Kai, but for now, she needs medical attention."

Neuro watched the scene unfold quietly. He didn't like how he didn't seem necessary anymore, how he was easily swept aside by a dilemma or even a solution.

He hugged Kai as he watched Zane patch the girl (Neuro didn't know her name), or more precisely her arm, up as she winced and muttered in pain. The ex-Ninja looked surprised, turning to look at him; Neuro smiled up at him, hoping to see that handsome smile again. It would be a kind substitute from the not so handsome frown that dominated his features. Neither frown nor smile appeared, as Kai turned away as quickly as he had turned around. Despite hurt, Neuro continued to hug him from behind, nuzzling his face into his back. No matter how hard Kai shook or how loud he yelled, Neuro refused to let go because he-

Uhhhh...

Never mind.

"Neuro, get off me. No I won't pick you up, no I won't smile and no way in the Underworld will I let you hug me anymore."

"You're warm, Kai."

"Huh?"

"How are you so warm, Kai, when your heart is so cold?"

The girl chuckled, as did Zane, but Kai just frowned more than usual and huffed, turning away from the telepath. He pulled himself out of his grip, Neuro allowing him to this time. With a little surprise, he turned to look at Neuro, eyes curious and slightly wide.

Neuro turned away, going to make himself some hot chocolate with the tubs that they'd bought. Kai frowned - not with sorrow, not with anger but with concern.

Zane smiled as she moved her arm. "Why did you come here?" Kai immediately interrogated, looking at the Nindroid and red haired girl. "You aren't wanted here, Skylor."

"Kai, please, let me make up it up to you."

"You chose your family over us - the ones who hurt us, the ones who hurt you, tried to kidnap you, could have KILLED you!"

"Family is important, Kai!"

"DON'T TALK TO ME ABOUT FAMILY!" He slapped her around the face but then was dragged away by Zane.

"I'm sorry about your parents, Kai, Zane informed me about them ages ago, I really am, but you have your sister, don't you? Nya?"

Kai glared, he clenched his fist but slowly nodded.

"Yeah... her name's Nya..."

"Tell her she should come by the Noodle House - I can stock her on supplies for free."

"Mm hm."

Zane broke the silence that ensued after the conversation between a hostile male and lovesick female. "Skylor, Kai, do you want me to make a hot cup of cocoa?"

They nodded.

"I'll make it." Neuro mumbled, setting down his own cup of the chocolate liquid and making the two their own cups. He was otherwise quiet and emotionless as he handed the hot chocolates to the teenagers, nodding to reply to their mumbles of thanks.

"So, Neuro," Kai looked up from his cup after a few moments. The telepath didn't look up but acknowledged him. "You, uh, want to meet some of the people you lived with before the apocalypse?"

Neuro nodded.

"I'm not one of those people but you met me. I'm Skylor Chen, daughter of Master Chen. I'm fifteen, a few months older than Kai, and I work at Master Chen's Noodle House. Master Chen-"

"Isn't important right now." Kai interrupted. Skylor glared at him from the corner of her eye but Zane shook his head.

Neuro looked at his hands in deep thought.

How many secrets were they keeping from him?

* * *

_His mother loved him very much, she told him that a lot, and it almost sickened him how much she repeated.  
_

_He was five when he first remembered her telling him.  
_

_"Neuro, sweetie?"  
_

_"Yeah, mommy?"  
_

_"I love you, nugget."  
_

_"Love you too."  
_

_She then burst into tears, he was very alarmed and nearly cried himself.  
_

_"Oh, sweetie, don't cry. It's my fault really, it's just that's what your father said before..." She shook her head. "Don't worry, nugget, it's not your fault. I love you, sweetie, you never forget that."_

* * *

Silence rested upon the household, Kai showing hostility toward Skylor, love and care toward Neuro and something in between toward Zane.

"Why isn't she gone yet?" Kai asked, breaking the silence. "I mean, her arm's bandaged, she's finished her hot chocolate, Zane's finished his scans, there's no reason for her to be here."

"The streets are packed with the drones, Kai, I'm not going out there and risking death."

"Please, you have your necklace." He gestured to the necklace. "It's your shield."

She glared at him, but looked at it. "I suppose."

"You don't have your Element anymore, but you have its Gem."

"I do."

Zane frowned. "It's an Amber. Fossilised tree sap. How can it be a shield?"

"I don't know. But it's protected her before - I've seen it."

"When?"

* * *

_"Kai, please, I still love you!"  
_

_"Well, I don't! I haven't loved you since Jay and Nya got back together! I promise to never love you again!"  
_

_"Ka- LOOK OUT!"  
_

_He didn't have time to respond when a bullet landed itself in his leg. He yelled in pain and fell to the ground, leg bleeding. He shot fire out at the surrounding enemy, but to no use as it reached no further than her feet, which were placed mere centimetres away from him. Crimson red surrounded him and she crouched down beside him; he couldn't hear what she was saying, but something about something for his sake and some muttering in gibberish - Latin? Probably.  
_

_They, the robots (those who died and were turned into robots by his sick hand), approached, and she held up the necklace Kai had originally not seen. They ran at her, guns blazing, but they were deflected as an orange-red-amber-coloured forcefield bubble surrounded them, the bullets bouncing off harmlessly. Kai watched her pull the force field down and taking out gauntlets and boots from a bag he had also not noticed, putting them on.  
_

_Orbs of energy shot out, he recognised them as ice, earth (this looked like rocks merging together), lightning and water, and hit the enemy. Cyborgs later came, and she used the boots to kick and shoot bullets into the human parts, rendering the cyborgs useless.  
_

_He watched in wonder as all the attacking things fell, disabled, and she walked over to him, pulled a first aid kit out of her bag and patched up his leg. He nodded a thanks and began to walk away.  
_

_"Oh, Kai?"  
_

_He didn't know why he grunted in response, he didn't know why he stopped, he didn't know why he turned around.  
_

_He just did.  
_

_"You owe me a favour."  
_

_"Hmph." He continued his way, he smirked at her sensed hesitation, and, without stopping, he replied.  
_

_"Whatever."_

* * *

"Leave, Skylor. You have weapons, you have a shield, you don't need to stay here."

"I told you that I'm owed a favour from you."

"We already healed you."

"You're the one that shot me and Zane bandaged my leg and Neuro made me the hot chocolate. You want me gone but I'm not leaving until I get my favour."

Kai glared at her but accepted his fate. He just gave a small nod, turning away and humming in thought. Neuro looked up to see the ex-Ninja staring at him, eyes lost and narrowed and the Fire Master quiet. The Mind Master tilted his head in confusion and, instantly, Kai looked away, directing his attention at Zane. Neuro looked away as well, slicing a slice of cheese and biting into it thoughtfully.

He didn't know all the answers - why did Zane seem like a jerk, why was Skylor so persistent to stay, why didn't Kai like her, who was Master Chen, who were the other Ninja, where are they, were there other Elemental Masters, where are they, how many have died?

Who was Kai?

 

 

 

 

 


	5. Graveyard for my Smiles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Neuro re-meets a member of his past, Zane and Kai argue and more memories.

"Kai, you said you'd take me to meet some of the people of my past."

"Did I now?"

Skylor had left about a week ago and Zane stayed, quote, 'for Kai's sake', end quote, to which Kai responded he, quote, 'didn't need Zane coddling him', end quote. Zane only 'ha'ed and told him not to make him laugh.

Kai was peeling potatoes for their dinner as Neuro reminded him of what he'd said for about the hundredth time.

"I remember it, loud and clear. You said you'd take me."

"Funny, I don't remember giving a fuck."

"Kaaaaaaaaaaaaaiiiiiiiiiiiiii."

"Kai, just take him. I'll prepare dinner while you're gone." Zane smiled. "Remember whose recipe it is."

The Fire Master gave a small huff and looked at the expectant and short Mind Master. "Fine. But you owe me."

"Whatever."

Kai frowned and watched Neuro grab his sword and gun. "He shouldn't have to fight for his life, Zane."

"Why not?"

"He doesn't deserve it. No one does."

"Neither do you. And you can't say it's your fault either - this started long before the incident, Kai, and it only got this bad when-"

"I know. But I could have stopped-"

"No you couldn't!" Kai could barely hear Neuro saying he was going upstairs as Zane yelled. "You couldn't have stopped the incident, you couldn't have stopped him from going insane and you couldn't have stopped this from happening without us or you'd die!"

"At least I'd die trying! Maybe I could have but then would die! At least the incident would have never happened, and I wouldn't have ran away and at least you'd all be safe!"

"But she'd be alone."

Kai flinched at how harshly the words came out and then his hands trembled in anger. "Don't bring Nya into this!"

"But you already did."

"Huh?"

"Kai, you became a Ninja for Nya. You tried to become a blacksmith for Nya. You did so much for her, because you loved her and she was your sister. If she-"

"SHUT UP!"

Zane went quiet and nodded, turning back to the potatoes. "Just remember Kai..."

"Nothing is your fault."

"..."

"In fact, if you want to blame someone..."

"..."

"Blame the First Spinjitzu Master."

"KAI!" Neuro yelled, walking down from upstairs. "HURRY UP!"

Zane smiled. "He reminds me of you sometimes."

Kai frowned.

"Impatient, a bit childish, means well. He can be whiny."

"I wasn't that whiny."

"No. You were worse."

Kai went quiet, remembering that day, wistful. "I wish I could go back, Zane, to before the beginning."

"Can you even remember the beginning?"

"No."

"Well, it was over a year ago." It'd been a year since the incident, but the apocalypse had started about five months before, beginning in December (and very near Christmas Day - 24th) and the incident and the even worse apocalypse (at least more people lived in the previous apocalypse) happened five months later in May (14th). It'd been about two weeks less than a year now. "I don't blame you. Do you want me to tell you?"

Kai went to speak.

"KAI!"

"You'd better go - the impatient can't wait."

Kai turned away from Zane.

He smiled gently and genuinely.

Something he hasn't really done since the 24th of December.

He ruffled Neuro's hair, who gasped at the ruining of the neatness. He chuckled. "Neuro, you drama queen. The world is in a ruined state and people are dying or dead and you freak out about your hair? Your hair should be the least of your worries." Kai, nonetheless, helped him neaten it back up.

"You can't speak. Zane told me a few days about how you could spend hours spiking up your hair and you'd sulk in your room if it got ruined or if anyone messed it up."

Over the few months that had passed Kai and Neuro had been acquaintances, Kai's spiky hair had fallen to a more fluffy style, and since he'd long ran out of gel, he couldn't put it back up - not that he cared anymore.

"So, you ready to meet some old friends of yours?"

"I, uh, guess?"

"Mere minutes ago you were screaming at me because you wanted me to hurry my ass up."

"I didn't say that."

"You wanted to."

"How do you know that's true?"

"Is it?"

"No! What, you some kind of mind reader too?"

"Nah, I can just feel it."

"What, like sixth sense?"

"Nah. Just... instincts."

"Why? I'm not your brother."

"I have a sister, Nya. Younger than me by about a year. Stubborn, defiant, not at all the stereotype. Pretty girl. Dating Jay."

"Where are they?"

Kai paused for a second. "After I left the team, I kind of lost touch with all of them. Even Nya. Especially Nya."

"Why especially?"

"..."

"Kai?"

"Nya's the reason I left." His hands turned into fists and they trembled. He'd stopped walking.

"I'm sorry I even brought it up..."

Kai continued on walking, Neuro following slowly. They returned to the infirmary, Neuro shooting Kai an odd look. He followed him in, now not in pain from shooting himself in the leg, and stayed very close to him.

Kai strolled up to one of the doctors, and tapped him on the shoulder. "Doctor Shadow, right?"

"Yea- Oh, hello Kai." The doctor responded. "What brings you here?"

"I told Neuro I'd take him to meet people of his past so..." He pushed the telepath toward him.

The two stood in silence.

"H-Hi."

"Hello. My name is Shadow. I already know yours. I am sixteen and I am an Elemental Master." Shadow was whispering, as if scared, and the smile he bore was fake. "I work here as a doctor so I can help people survive the apocalypse."

"This feels weird. I'm shy but I'm not and I kind of want to hug you but you're like a stranger and it feels so weird but normal."

Shadow laughed. "You want a hug?"

"Uh... Sure..." He eased into the hug slowly before relaxing and snuggling into it. "This is almost familiar..."

"Yeah. We lived together along with..." He trailed off, but shook his head. "Anyways, I sometimes carried you to bed, especially if you were tired."

"You did?"

"Yeah, I was like the big emo brother who cared despite giving no shits."

Neuro laughed, as did Shadow, and Kai watched on from the sidelines.

"I was also a bit of a jerk."

"Was?"

"I can't really be a douchebag while looking after people who I probably don't know well."

"True."

Kai smiled. "Well, Shadow, Zane's probably going to wondering where we are. Neuro and I didn't expect the journey to take this long. We're going to find the other two soon."

"Ah. Safe travels, Kai. Could you tell Skylor if you see her she needs to return to the infirmary?"

"She's not returned?"

"No."

Kai frowned. "Funny."

As the two began to walk away, Shadow reached out. "Oh, and, uh, Kai?"

"Hm?"

"Send my regards to Zane. It's been a while, tell him we should meet up sometime."

"I'll be sure to tell him that."

"Oh, and tell him soon - I want to meet him two days after tomorrow."

"Course."

"Thank you."

There was no reply as Kai led Neuro out. "C'mon, little guy. Zane's gonna be waiting for us and we need food."

"Fine." They walked in silence, but then Kai broke the silence.

"Why does Shadow want to talk to Zane? Since the last time I saw him with Zane, Shadow hated all of us. He didn't mention Zane when you had to have your leg healed, though I suppose he might have been worrying hims-"

"Kai, where's Skylor?"

Kai froze, registered the question, rolled his eyes and growled. "I don't know, Neuro, it's not as if I can locate her on the spot. I don't have a falcon like Zane used to."

"What?"

"Zane's a robot, you know that, right? I told you when he found us. He had this falcon robot, or the Falcon, and he'd use it to go places without moving and be able to spy on the enemy whilst lowering the chances of being spotted."

"What happened to the Falcon?"

"I don't know, I don't know everything. I can't answer all of your questions."

"I know b-"

"I was split up from the Ninja, or my ex-siblings aside from Nya, for nearly a whole year. When I left, Zane still had the Falcon and I guess it was either destroyed or turned into one of them."

"Zane's a robot, yeah?"

"Yes, Neuro, why is that important?"

"Kai."

"What?!"

"Aren't robots the enemy?"

Kai went to say that Zane was not an enemy. Neuro knew.

"Zane could have been turned."

Kai paused, nodded in agreement and then his eyes widened.

"ZANE COULD HAVE BEEN TURNED! SHIT!" He grabbed Neuro's hand and ran, the telepath stumble-running afterwards, eventually easing his hand out and running behind him.

They ran into their hide-out, running down the stairs into the basement. Kai lit his hands on fire.

Zane was wearing a pink apron and cooking savoury pancakes.

He was not a threat.

He paused and slowly turned to Kai, raising an eyebrow in confusion and amusement.

Neuro read the apron:

Please do nothing to the cook.

He stifled a laugh.

"Kai, what are you doing?"

Kai struggled for answers but eventually explained how Zane was a robot and he could have been taken over until Zane laughed and proved him wrong.

"Kai, I was created roughly three decades before even becoming a Ninja. The way I was made contrasts highly to how those controlled are made. It is near impossible I become one of them."

"Neuro put it in my mind!"

"He was talking about the Falcon and said it could have been destroyed or turned!"

Zane paused and sighed. "The Falcon was a good ally. I used it to survive during the apocalypse many a time after the remainder of the team split up-"

"You guys split up?"

"We are still recognised as Ninja, and we still are Ninja. After the incident and your departure, we vowed to help those who survived to not face a similar pain anymore. All I know is that we have different jobs, and that my own is to help, guide and protect the people, the job I was assigned by first Doctor Julien and then Sensei. In a way, Kai, you become our inspiration."

"The incident?" Neuro frowned in confusion.

"You haven't told him." Zane frowned, saying it as if he were demanding an answer, not asking.

"It's not relevant."

"Yes it is! It is the reason why you are here, why Neuro is without memories and why Ninjago is in the state it is in."

"So you're saying that if I had save-"

"No, it's not your fault!"

"Yes it is! Everything is my fault!"

"Stop it!"

The two old brothers shut up and looked at the younger.

"I came to Kai to help him, not just for answers. If Kai doesn't want me to know, then I don't want to. Zane, I heard what you said to Kai over a week ago, and because of that, my judgement of you is very conflicted. Besides this and that argument, I hold a positive opinion of you. But Kai, please, for all our sakes, lighten up!"

Kai scanned Neuro's small frame, as if seeing something that he either hadn't seen before or wasn't there before, but sighed. "It's not that easy. What happened near a year ago affected me, and the Ninja, greatly, and it's a wonder how none of us turned insane."

"Kai sto-"

"The reason I don't want to tell you is because... I guess telling would force me to re-live it."

Neuro nodded in understanding.

"Some people that you knew before the amnesia, you'll never be able to see them again because they're dead and robots or turned." Kai looked at the floor.

"There's no such thing as a graveyard."

* * *

Three days later, Zane went to meet Shadow. Rain tried to stab him, but he was still walking slowly, uncaring about the weather. He was reluctant, but he knew where to go.

Ninjago CafÃ©, outside, on one of the tables with those umbrellas that looks so romantic.

He saw Shadow sat there, handsome smile upon his grey face, the table looking inviting. Shivering slightly, but not too much, he sat down opposite to Shadow, the umbrella covering both.

"Rain's always been romantic for whatever reason." Shadow purred, stroking Zane's hand gently, the Nindroid not pulling away as he couldn't deny how soft and delicate Shadow's fingers were.

"What do you want to talk about, Shadow?"

Shadow laughed slightly. "Oh Zane, you know exactly what I want to talk about."

"No, I don't."

"You came back for me, Zane."

"... That is one of the reasons."

Shadow frowned. "What other reasons are there?"

"Sensei told me to return from Metalonia as he wanted me to meet him when he comes in a few days. I sensed that people here needed protection more than the Metalonians and when I found Kai, I had all the more reason to stay."

"So I was a bonus, hm?"

"No - you are one of the primary reasons."

Shadow chuckled lightly. "Oh you always know what to say..."

"I do?"

"You do, Zane..."

Shadow removed his hand. "This used to be one of the most romantic places in Ninjago, didn't it? The place would be packed, couples could be seen eating eclairs and croissants all the time. Now..."

"Some of both people of the couples are dead, most have been forced to separate by the death of one of them and the others are forced to survive." Zane hummed in thought. "I have missed you."

"I know..." Shadow smiled weakly. "I brought a croissant and eclair. Made them myself."

Zane smiled back, knowing Shadow had skills similar to Kai's - nearly as amazing as his (and Karloff's) cooking. However... "I thought you didn't like cooking."

"I don't. But since it was a special occasion, I put likes and dislikes aside and made them."

Zane smiled again and bit into the croissant. Shadow grinned as Zane's tastebuds screamed with delight.

"It's good to have you back."

"It's even better to be back."

And the two leaned in for a long awaited, long and sensual kiss.

* * *

_Kai was bound and gagged, tears staining his cheeks and reddening his eyes. He looked up as the door opened and slammed shut, glaring and struggling against his binds.  
_

_"Oh don't humour me, Kai, he's not coming back."  
_

_Kai glared up at him with watery eyes. The speaker wiped them away for him with a mocking laugh - Kai would have attacked them if he could.  
_

_"Isn't it sad, hey? This happened because you failed to save a life. A single life changed our reality. And you had a chance to save that life, to save so many lives, to allow so many people to keep their memories. It's funny, isn't it?"  
_

_Kai looked away, but the speaker, his torturer, grabbed his chin and forced him to look at him.  
_

_"YOUR INEPTITUDE KILLED SO MANY PEOPLE KAI!"  
_

_Kai screamed something muffled; the one who held him captive ripped it off.  
_

_"I'm sorry! I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry..."  
_

_"I know you are, Kai..."  
_

_"Please... let him live..."  
_

_"Kai..."  
_

_Kai looked up at the captor, the insane one, who grinned maniacally.  
_

_"I'm not going to take the demands of a weak," One slap. "Scared," Two slaps. "Begging," Three slaps. "LIAR!" Kai was kicked back into the wall, near unconsciousness, his eyes opened just a little bit, dazed and empty._ _"Just to let you know, I'm keeping you alive. Him however... I'm not..." The door opened and shut gently._

_"Sweet dreams Kai... Dreams would be a nice substitute for your nightmare life."_

_Kai was bound and gagged, tears staining his cheeks and reddening his eyes. He looked up as the door opened and slammed shut, glaring and struggling against his binds.  
_

_"Oh don't humour me, Kai, he's not coming back."  
_

_Kai glared up at him with watery eyes. The speaker wiped them away for him with a mocking laugh - Kai would have attacked them if he could.  
_

_"Isn't it sad, hey? This happened because you failed to save a life. A single life changed our reality. And you had a chance to save that life, to save so many lives, to allow so many people to keep their memories. It's funny, isn't it?"  
_

_Kai looked away, but the speaker, his torturer, grabbed his chin and forced him to look at him.  
_

_"YOUR INEPTITUDE KILLED SO MANY PEOPLE KAI!"  
_

_Kai screamed something muffled; the one who held him captive ripped it off.  
_

_"I'm sorry! I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry..."  
_

_"I know you are, Kai..."  
_

_"Please... let him live..."  
_

_"Kai..."  
_

_Kai looked up at the captor, the insane one, who grinned maniacally.  
_

_"I'm not going to take the demands of a weak," One slap. "Scared," Two slaps. "Begging," Three slaps. "LIAR!" Kai was kicked back into the wall, near unconsciousness, his eyes opened just a little bit, dazed and empty._ _"Just to let you know, I'm keeping you alive. Him however... I'm not..." The door opened and shut gently._

_"Sweet dreams Kai... Dreams would be a nice substitute for your nightmare life."_

* * *

 

 _"Not_ the _Borg Industries! As in home to super ingenious reclusive savant Cyrus Borg, inventor of the hover car and everything else cool in this world?" Jay yelped in pain as Zane kicked him in the arse, Kai rolling his eyes.  
_

_"Who cares about Cyrus Borg?" Kai stated, going to make himself some tea from Sensei's tea machine. "If you ask me, people should concern themselves with the lessons of the past. Not waste their time on the disposable fads of tomorrow when-" He turned to see the rest of the Ninja, apart from Lloyd, Nya (as she'd not been one of the Ninja then and Sensei Wu gone, and he groaned.  
_

_A week later, the children of Sensei Wu's Academy piled onto the bus, where Cole showed them a microphone and proceeded to dance an embarrassing dance, that made Kai want to cross his arms on the seat in front of him and bury his face in them with embarrassment, instead choosing to roll his eyes.  
_

_"Mr Cole is the worst!"  
_

_Cole huffed and yelled at Brad, "I heard that!"  
_

_"So we really are going back to the city. We haven't been there since - you know." They'd been there since the battle.  
_

_What Kai meant was that, without their Elemental Weapons or Power, they were useless, and he and Jay had been beaten up whilst shopping for a decent meal. Kai was hesitant to go back there afterwards, whereas Jay_ _was buzzing in his chair.  
_

_"Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We only have today... Or else this offer expires! Get a move on Nya!"  
_

_"Aye, aye, Sensei!"  
_

_As they drove through the busy roads, Cole turned to look at Kai. "You don't seem particularly excited."  
_

_"Eh, I prefer history. A field trip to somewhere focusing on the future isn't my cup of tea."  
_

_"So you'd rather go to a place with a lot of history?"  
_

_"Yeah."  
_

_"Liiiiiike?"  
_

_"Ignacia Village."  
_

_"You used to live there, right? You were gonna be a blacksmith, living in your father's shadow."  
_

_Kai shot a glare at him, the students too busy muttering to each other to listen to their teachers.  
_

_"I didn't expect you to be such a history nerd. Really, I expected Zane to enjoy that kind of thing, but you..."  
_

_"So just because I'm admittedly conceited, I'm not supposed to like history?"  
_

_"No, it's not that."  
_

_"I did grow up in a village remember, not a big city. I grew up humbly whereas Jay lived in a junkyard and learnt to invent things, you were pushed to be a dancer and Zane was built years ago."  
_

_"Nya grew up with you, why isn't she a history nerd?"  
_

_"Dad wanted me to be a blacksmith, he thought that some time making weapons would be good for me, so he left me with one of his friends and took Nya out to Ninjago City. She started collecting scrap metal and tried to build things with it shortly after. I never went to the city."  
_

_"Kai was almost confined to the house - since he acted a lot younger than he was, he was only allowed out if with Dad, one of the family friends or me were with him, and after my visit to Ninjago City, I became very introverted and family friends were very busy, so Kai didn't go out a lot. It wasn't until Dad died that he grew up."  
_

_"Whoa..." Jay had listened in now, but the students were still muttering. Zane was walking up the space between the chairs, seeing if anyone needed a sick bag. "And I thought being a dancer sucked."  
_

_Kai scowled and looked away. Jay hummed in thought. "Maybe you were jealous that Nya got to see the city and you didn't, so that's why you'd rather learn about the past."  
_

_"Maybe he's stuck in it."  
_

_"Leave him alone, guys, he's tired."  
_

_"Is he?"  
_

_"Yeah, I found him marking history books at five in the morning. He was still awake at seven, no sign of sleeping, sipping coffee." He looked at Kai's face, and indeed the teen was sleeping; he smiled and shook his head at the others, shushing the students as Kai peacefully slept, saying that Kai needed a rest and would greatly appreciate quiet.  
_

_Jay turned around and ruffled Kai's hair. "He spent a lot of time being the older brother. I'm going to make sure he has a lot of time as my younger brother."_

* * *

_"How sad, Kai, you ruined it."  
_

_"Pity it couldn't last."  
_

_"Still, everything ends Kai."  
_

_"And you're the reason a lot of things stopped."  
_

_"You couldn't save your mother, your father, you couldn't stop the incident..."  
_

_"You're so useless Kai, I'm beginning to wonder why Sensei took you on aside from your Element."  
_

_"I think it was pity."_

* * *

They ate the meal in silence, Zane and Kai refusing to look at each other, Neuro feeling very uncomfortable.

Kai was fighting back tears, wondering how it had got here despite the clear answer.

Zane and he used to be so close, the robot caring for him when he fell ill, improving his cooking skills by showing him little secrets, carrying Kai whenever his leg decided to ache to the point where Kai couldn't bear to walk and even treating him like a younger brother - scolding him when necessary, hugging him when necessary and if Kai wasn't sleeping, Zane would stay with him until he slept, and Kai would do the exact same in a heartbeat.

But now, the two couldn't bear to look each other and were always arguing. Though he was metal, Zane's hugs were very warm and Kai longed for that physical and mental warmth that possessed him whenever the robot held him in his arms.

Zane wasn't angry, no, but he felt a strange feeling that made him refuse to look at Kai. He too missed the old days, when they were all together and happy and everything, even if it was for a short time, was sunshine and roses.

Kai might have been wearing a good mask for years, but Zane recognised that he was still that scared little boy who admired himself in the mirror so he could check on how hidden his pain was. That was the reason he cared so much for him, back then, why he showed him what he showed him and why he treated him how he treated him. He longed to ruffle that messy, fluffy, soft hair just one time before-

Never mind.

"You're both thinking the same thing."

"Huh?"

Zane looked up from the plate at Neuro.

"You both miss the old days, when you two were very close and you wish it could come back."

Kai frowned. "Neuro, you know you could easily read my mind about everything. The incident, what happened, everything I know."

"So why don't you?"

"Yeah, why don't I? Thing is Kai, I don't want to. You'll hate me more if I do read your mind and it would be invading your privacy. I want you to tell me in your own time, and I may die before I know answers."

Zane tapped Neuro's hand, the younger male looking up.

"Neuro, as an Elemental Master, you have a lot of potential - when you unlocked your Potential, you felt a fraction of the power you could control. None of us have tapped into that yet, not even the rest of the Ninja and I, but Sensei decided to train us for a while before sending us out on missions. We are much more powerful now, and Sensei wants me to gather up the rest of the Elemental Masters who survived and bring them to me so he can train them so they can eventually save our world." Zane smiled. "That is my main mission, the one with the voices is my secondary mission. Kai,"

The Fire Ninja looked up.

"He wants you too."

Kai froze, then lowered his cutlery slowly and leant on the table with his elbows.

"He can want me all he likes."

Zane frowned at the Fire Master.

"I'm not going back."

"Why not?"

"I refuse to do anything for that man!"

"Why? Sensei wants to train you, he's willing to accept you with open arms, and so are the others! Kai, he wants to train you so you, we, can save the world and restore its former glory!"

"Why should we?! We let so many people die, Zane! Why wait until now to make a difference?!"

"..."

"For once, you're speechless! Sensei is not as great a person as he's led you to believe! He took you away from your lives and he's the reason why you died!"

"I died to save you!"

"WE WERE PRACTICALLY STRANGERS!"

"YOU WERE MY FRIEND!"

"I HAVE NEVER HAD A SINGLE FUCKING FRIEND!"

The commotion died down, Neuro sat shaking, and Kai and Zane were standing up. The telepath hiccupped as he shook, about to cry.

"What?"

Kai's fists clenched and unclenched before he finally sat down and ate, going silent. Zane too sat down, asking no further questions.

Neuro looked at his food, pushing it away and also walking away. He didn't feel the older two's eyes burning into him.

He wasn't sure whether that was good or bad.

* * *

 

_"Neuro!"  
_

_He held Neuro in his arms, in a tight embrace, refusing to let go as they held each other.  
_

_"Oh you're safe! Promise you'll never leave me again!"  
_

_"I promise."_

* * *

"So, how's progress?"

"Better."

"Better how?"

"Well, we're working on a better metal for the robots, fire resistance, and the hope of the citizens is slowly depleting."

"And the Ninja?"

"We've only found him."

"Speaking of him, he is..."

"Not coping."

"Does he know?"

"No sir."

"If he finds out, we'll have to silence him somehow."

"He seems emotionally attached to his partner. Seems to be making him better weapons."

"Superb."

"Superb?"

A thin smile appeared on the speaker's features.

"Very superb. You can take the rest of your life off."

"What do you m-ugh!" The informant was interrupted by a bullet in his head.

"That's what I mean."

 

 

 

 


	6. Wish I Never Asked

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Three new characters enter the picture and Neuro meets some old friends. More specifically, who he lived with before the apocalypse.

She patrolled the city streets, carrying her handbag on her wrist, sunglasses shadowing her eyes, a small smirk on her face. He walked alongside her, wearing a beret, his hair in a small ponytail, a knowing smirk on his face.

"So, sweetie, what are we going to do now?"

She chuckled a little. "But I'm not your sweetie, now am I?"

"Ah, but can't a man dream?"

"I suppose... But I'm always here to crush their dreams."

"You're so nice, aren't you?" He put a hand on her well-developed chest and pushed her back gently. "Ooh, firm."

"Quit it, Doubloon. You never did tell me how you got your voice and human appearance back."

Doubloon chuckled lightly. "And you," He poked the middle of her breasts lightly. "Never did tell me how you got your beautiful looks back, Dogshank."

"I prefer for you to call me by my name, stupid."

"Stupid isn't as good."

"Shut up!"

"So what is your name, beautiful?"

"Beatrix. And surely yours is different than your pirate name?"

He paused for a frame of time. "I'd rather not..."

"Why not? Don't you like it?"

"No..."

"What is it?"

"..."

"Doubloon..."

"Ezekiel."

"Beatrix and Ezekiel. Beautiful names, beautiful pair." She threw back her black hair and pulled off her sunglasses, just about avoiding poking her eyes which were an abnormal honey yellow. "You look good in a beret."

He looked up at it, the burgundy hat, and smiled as he rearranged it. It went well with his sherry red hair which contrasted his near pale white skin. She had tan skin.

"Please, call me Doubloon still."

"Why?"

"It's much preferred." He shrugged.

"Why?"

"Are you going to ask why for everything?"

"Why'd you want to know?"

"..."

"Eze- Doubloon, come back!"

He stopped and sighed. "Why do you want me to stay?"

"Because you're important to me..."

"How so?"

"You... You just are."

He went silent.

"You're the only one who's cared for me since the beginning of my life, you know that?" He whispered, looking at his scarred hands.

"Yeah... I know that now..."

* * *

 

Second day. Zane and Kai hadn't so much as looked at each other since their meal, and Neuro had gone to bed for an early night - Kai hadn't slept that night.

Neuro was still asleep, which worried Kai - Neuro never slept this long and it was becoming dangerous as it passed ten hours. He decided to shake Neuro awake and tell him they were going to meet the next person in his past. "Neuro, wake up."

After fifteen minutes, Neuro opened his eyes, but proceeded to ignore him.

"Neuro please. We're going to meet someone else from your past."

No response.

"Kai, leave him." Zane grabbed his wrist.

"Don't tell me what to do! Let go of me!" He pulled his wrist free, and Neuro covered his ears and hid under the blanket. "You're aren't helping, Zane!"

"Neither are you!"

Neuro groaned as they continued to argue. He sat up, his chest bare (he'd decided that night it was too warm for a T-shirt), and glared. Kai stared at his chest for a moment, blushing a little, before shaking his head and throwing a T-shirt at the teen. "You'd better get dressed."

"Why?"

"Neuro, do you want to meet people from your past or not?"

"... Fine." He got dressed quickly and ate quickly and he and Kai left quickly. "So, where we going today?"

Kai turned around and tapped Neuro's nose. "Not saying just yet."

"Why not?"

"Reasons." Neuro huffed and rolled his eyes, allowing Kai to lead the way. He saw how Kai didn't grab his wrist but his hand. His face reddened and they walked, palms becoming sweaty. Kai chuckled at this reaction, letting go temporarily to ruffle Neuro's hair. "Cheer up, Nerdo, you'll find out soon."

For about ten minutes, they walked in silence, but Neuro was amazed they weren't ambushed by the enemy, until Kai said, "I hope you understand that you can't meet everyone from your past."

"Why not?"

"Some of them have died..."

"Oh..." Neuro looked at the floor.

Kai lifted his chin. "Hey, come on, don't look so sad. It really hurts to see you sad."

"..."

"Neuro?"

"It hurts to see you sad, Kai, but you're always sad. Why?"

No response other than Kai's hands going in his pockets and him continuing to walk.

"Sorry..."

A small mumble was the response but Neuro crept his hand into Kai's trouser pocket and gripping his hand, pulling it out and wrapping it around his shoulder to hug him. Kai quietly allowed him to do that as he led the way.

They came to a block of flats, Neuro frowning in confusion as Kai climbed up the wall. "Uh, Kai? I was never a Ninja?"

"Oh." Kai dropped down since he wasn't too far away from the ground.

"Plus the door isn't locked." Neuro opened it.

"Oh."

They travelled up the stairs slowly, hands still intwined with each other, the spaces between their fingers perfectly fitting, Neuro's fingers rubbing the back of Kai's hand soothingly. He stopped at a door and knocked on it.

Neuro didn't know what he expected - a normal flat room, with a couple of doors leading to a bathroom, a bedroom and a closet and a kitchen and living room.

No.

It was one large room, clearly the walls had been knocked down, and the living room walls had weapons hanging on them, from swords to grenades and from staffs to boots, and the kitchen was half-kitchen, half blacksmith shop. The bedroom was that but it had recipes for food and weapons and anything else that had to be made and the bathroom was covered with guides and metal and groceries. The closet contained the few things the person owned.

Neuro stared in wonder as the person brought them in. "Whoa..." He stared at the person behind this.

He had crow black hair to his shoulders and wore a strange looking hat that reached his shoulders. His eyes were chocolate brown and his skin was tan. He wore gauntlets and some strange armour.

He hadn't noticed Neuro yet, as he and Kai were busy talking about something to do with weapons before the man's eyes fell upon Neuro.

He was tall. Really, really tall. Neuro must have been half his height, perhaps an inch more.

The man's eyes watered and he pulled Neuro into a tight hug. "Karloff thought he never see Neuro again!"

Neuro choked as Karloff hugged him, looking to Kai.

"Sorry, Karloff know about amnesia."

Who doesn't? Neuro pondered, relieved as Karloff released him and held him by the shoulders.

"Name is Karloff, eighteen years old," Neuro stared in confusion. Just freaking eighteen?! "And an Elemental Master."

"Who isn't?"

"Quite a few, actually, seeing there's barely ten in existence. The Ninja are Elemental Masters and all the Elemental Masters know each other and keep in touch. You and I are an exception." Kai explained, turning his attention to the weapons, hand still firmly gripping Neuro's.

"But before the amnesia, I was in touch with them?"

"Yeah. Shadow and Karloff your flatmates. This flat you lived in. You youngest of four, were like brothers." Karloff explained, eyes trying to ignore the clear holding of their hands and face trying to keep a smile off it.

"Four?"

Kai let go of the telepath's hand, walking over to the living room and admiring the weapons. "Karloff, may I talk to you? Neuro, why don't you go learn a recipe or something?"

Before Neuro or Karloff could respond, the door knocked loudly. Karloff pulled it open, to see a red-haired, beret-wearing young man who was probably in his mid-twenties and a black-haired, sunglass-wearing young woman who was probably in her mid-twenties. They were roughly the same height, the woman a little taller due to her abnormal height. Karloff welcomed them in, telling the two that the two at the door were his two best and most frequent customers.

"Customers?" Neuro frowned.

"Karloff got to make living. Karloff make and sell food and weapons. Karloff buy and fix weapons too." The two who'd just entered followed the eighteen year old into the living room, the sofa acting as a counter and till.

"What Karloff do for you?"

"My dear friend Ezekiel," She gestured to the male. "Was almost killed by the robots since his 'arm'," She put quotation marks around 'arm'. "Broke."

"'Arm'?" Neuro frowned, Kai gently hitting him across the head and stating he shouldn't be so nosy.

The male pulled the weapon out of his bag with his left arm (it was similar to a gauntlet but was a gun-turning-sword with a Roman-boot-like bracelet that went up to his elbow attached to it) and threw it on the sofa, showing it to Karloff, not speaking a word.

His right arm was bandaged, put in a sling and bloody, and they could see why.

The bracelet that wrapped around the arm for a better arm was completely crushed and would cut into the unfortunate wearer's arm with gaping, deep, bloody wounds. The sword was bent and the handle, which contained a gun, was utterly destroyed.

"In bad state, but not unfixable." Karloff mused.

"You made that weapon! You hurt my friend!"

"Karloff no mean to. Karloff fix weapon for half price."

"I demand it for free!" The woman banged her fist on the sofa.

"Half price for fix and new weapon."

She growled. "Fine." She selected a weapon, the same kind that was being fixed. "How much will that cost?"

"Â£30.50." He replied. "Weapon used to cost thirty two, half price sixteen, weapon fix usually twenty nine, now fourteen and fifty."

She produced the money, which he took, and set to work after giving her the weapon. Kai walked up to Karloff and began muttering to him.

Neuro stood awkwardly near-but-not-too-near the two customers. The man looked at him, eyes running up and down him, and then promptly thrust out his left, unharmed arm to shake his hand. Neuro hesitantly shook it.

"Hey..." The telepath awkwardly stated. "I'm Neuro..."

The man looked away, biting his lip. He shifted his beret slightly, and gazed emptily at his arm.

"Sorry, he's just... shy." The woman interrupted the telepath's thoughts, holding out a hand to be shook. "His name is Ezekiel, and I am Beatrix."

"Hello..."

She then dropped the weapon into his arms, Neuro yelping as she did. "Just a gift, since I have no use for it after his weapon is fixed." Beatrix gave him a warm smile. They had a nice conversation, Ezekiel even joining in after a while, but eventually the weapon was finished and handed to them and the two had to leave. She wrote down something on a piece of paper and handed it to Neuro. "Just in case you ever want to find us again."

He looked at it, confused. "But this says every-" He looked up to see the door closing. "... Where..."

Kai walked over to Neuro after a few minutes of conversation with Karloff. "You ready to go buddy?"

"And meet the third person of the flat?"

Kai went quiet.

"Maybe..."

Neuro frowned in confusion.

"Maybe not."

Neuro sighed. "I suppose it's more likely to be maybe not?"

"Neuro, I would love to deny that, but that would be lying to myself all over again."

* * *

_"I'm really sorry Blayze, I don't mean to take advantage."  
_

_"Relax Teanna, Kai loves playing with Neuro." The man smiled as his six year old son and his five year old daughter played with his wife's friend's five year old son. "How did you and Arika meet?"  
_

_"By chance really. Our friendship began a few years before Kai was born, we met at the supermarket and she was struggling. I helped her and a friendship just became." The young woman sighed.  
_

_Blayze sighed but looked as Kai ran over to him, arms reaching up. "You want a piggy-back?"  
_

_"Yeah!"  
_

_Blayze set his son on his back, the boy squealing in delight.  
_

_Neuro whined as his best friend got picked up and he didn't.  
_

_"Neuro, I'm sorry, but I can't."  
_

_"Why not?"  
_

_"I just can't."  
_

_"Blayze!"  
_

_"Ah, Cliff!"  
_

_"Who's this?"  
_

_"Teanna, this is Cliff Gordon, Lightning Master. Cliff, this is Teanna, Mind Master."  
_

_"And who are these sweet little guys?"  
_

_"The one on my shoulders and the girl are my kids, Kai and Nya, and he," Blayze gestured to Neuro. "Is Neuro, Teanna's boy."  
_

_"Why's he upset?"  
_

_"I'm not strong enough to pick him up."  
_

_"I can fix that problem." Cliff set Neuro on his shoulder, the little boy squealing happily as he met Kai at eye level.  
_

_"So, I heard about your son. Pity you had to abandon him there."  
_

_"Yeah... I really wanted to keep him, I really did, but his mother was going through post-partum depression and she threatened to kill him if I didn't get rid of him. He has potential, I can feel it."_

_"What about your actor dreams?"_

_"I have an audition for Fritz Donnegan, you know, that comic?"  
_

_"Yeah, of course, you know I'm also a sci-fi nerd."  
_

_Teanna rolled her eyes as the two 'adult' men started to talk about their silly comic.  
_

_"Mummy?" Neuro asked her, looking at her.  
_

_"Yes sweetie?"  
_

_"Where's Daddy?"  
_

_She went quiet except for a sigh.  
_

_"Where's Daddy?"  
_

_That's exactly what she was wondering.  
_

_What was he doing now?_

* * *

"She just gave that to you, eh?" Kai looked at the weapon. "Little big, but that means you won't end up like him. We'll just shove some paper balls or whatever in there. Bubble wrap maybe. Or cotton wool."

"Or we can Karloff to mould it to my arm size."

"1. That costs money, Neuro. 2. Then you could end up like that guy. You know - sling, huge cuts through your arm."

Neuro frowned slightly.

"Kai, what did you talk to Karloff about?"

* * *

_"Karloff, I need you to do me a favour."  
_

_"What is favour?" Karloff asked, fixing the weapon that had crushed and nearly impaled the man's arm.  
_

_"I need you to make a weapon. Personal, original, one-of-a-kind. Never to be created again."  
_

_"What kind of weapon?"  
_

_He showed him the design and told him what he wanted for it.  
_

_"For you or Neuro?"  
_

_"Neuro."  
_

_There was a small silence as Karloff nodded, confirming he could make it. He stuffed the design in his pocket. "You know, if Kai no become ninja and stay blacksmith after getting back Nya, Kai could doing this."  
_

_"If I had stayed a blacksmith after Nya returning, none of this would have ever happened."  
_

_"Lots of things happen because Kai ninja. Some negative, yes..." Kai looked at the ground but then at Neuro. "But most positive. Green Ninja lived, Garmadon turn back, you met people. Imagine if Kai never became_ _ninja."  
_

_Karloff went silent for a second as he continued fixing the sword.  
_

_"Maybe none of us be here."  
_

_The Metal Master leaned over and tightly hugged Kai, who was surprised to say the least.  
_

_"Karloff want to say... thank you."  
_

_"For what?"  
_

_"For being ninja."_

* * *

_He was so close.  
_

_He was so, so close.  
_

_He tried to reach the Fang Blade, knowing his Potential unlocking would secure victory, but it wasn't unlocking.  
_

_"Why won't my power unlock?!" He was the last one to gain it, he was the last ninja to join the team and he was going to unlock it by grabbing the Bla-  
_

_"Kai! Help me!" His head turned toward the voice, Lloyd Garmadon - tiny terror, wannabe villain, nuisance, the world could do with out Lloyd Garmadon.  
_

_There was something in that patheticness that the son of the Dark Lord that made Kai turn his back on the Blade with only slight reluctance and go to save Lloyd, who, unlike the Blade, was a living being.  
_

_There seemed to be an aura of some sort surrounding him, and it was then Kai knew.  
_

_Lloyd was destined for greatness.  
_

_He leapt across the rocks floating in the lava, ignoring the heat that wanted to lure him into eternity, calling out, "Come on, let's get out of here!" He met Lloyd with a hug, not only to assure the boy they, or at least the son of Garmadon, were getting out alive, because if Kai didn't survive, then it really wouldn't matter (and perhaps the others would be glad to see the back of him).  
_

_"But the Fang Blade!"  
_

_"Forget it," He responded with a yell, despite himself. "The place is falling apart!" Holding onto Lloyd, he used his Spinjitzu to jump on and off the rocks in the lava that would surely sink if they put any weight on them at all.  
_

_He jumped on a rock, weakened a little and tired, wanting to sleep - he could sleep then and ther-  
_

_A wall of lava jumped up, waking him up immediately and blocking their exit.  
_

_He could hear the desperate calls of Lord Garmadon (to think he could feel desperation) from where he stood, hopeless.  
_

_There was a way Lloyd could get out, but he'd have to do it alone, and he knew Lloyd would never forgive himself if he let Kai die here.  
_

_He felt his existence fading, and he held Lloyd closer.  
_

_And then he felt it.  
_

_Potential.  
_

_The volcano erupted, and Kai could only imagine the despair Nya and Garmadon surely felt since there was no sign of the pair.  
_

_And to think Kai thought they'd be happy to see the back end of him.  
_

_An orb surrounded him and lifted him into the air, and he wanted to sleep now he knew he was safe, but he struggled to keep his eyes open and desperately held onto Lloyd's miniature frame to assure Lloyd was safe with him.  
_

_Was it terrifying, to see a fiery orb floating toward them, which may contain not the alive Kai and Lloyd but their crispy corpses?  
_

_He heard Jay yell something, and he landed on the boat, flaming fabulously and Lloyd stumbled and fell onto the floor. He stood for a second, seeking praise, which his Sensei rewarded with a nod, and it was then he decided to sleep.  
_

_Luckily this only meant pass out and he could hear the others rushing to him.  
_

_He loved being a ninja._

* * *

_"So why aren't you a ninja anymore? Why'd you run away from the truth and lie to yourself that one of the Ninja hadn't died and that they'd come to you and tell you breakfast is ready and that you'd come down, smiling and happy and they'd hug you and you'd all eat and none of you would be angry at each other and you'd be fine and everything would stay the same. But it couldn't be, not after h-"  
_

_"SHUT UP!" He screamed, tears a river on his face, shaking trembling at the harsh truth.  
_

_"..."  
_

_Kai's breaths wavered as the speaker approached him and stroked his chin gently, only scaring Kai more, before suddenly grabbing his chin, digging his sharp nails into it, making Kai cry out feebly in pain.  
_

_"You try to show off the lack of emotions and that you're mentally and emotionally strong but you're weak and you know it - physically, mentally and emotionally." They laughed at Kai's vulnerability and let go of his chin, chuckling.  
_

_The chuckle grew into an insane laugh within seconds and Kai cowered before it.  
_

_"And to think this, your weakness, I, the deaths, the sacrifices, the slaughters... To think this whole apocalypse happened because of a single death and a few wrong moves."  
_

_Kai wanted to curl up, but he didn't want physical pain as well as emotional pain inflicted on him.  
_

_"And to think those wrong moves were on your behalf."  
_

_Kai whimpered.  
_

_"If only you'd accepted it."  
_

_With a kick to the head, Kai passed out._

* * *

"So, ready to go home?"

Neuro looked up from the paper Beatrix had given him after a long time of empty gazing and gave Kai a look of confusion.

"What did you say?"

"Weren't you listening?"

"I was... reading..."

"Neuro, that literally only says one word and you've been gazing at it for nearly an hour. What's up?"

"I can't help but feel you should know them."

"Never seen 'em before in my life, what you talking about?"

Neuro frowned and looked back at it.

"Neuro, stop it." Kai took the paper and shoved it in his pocket. "Ready to go home?"

"Yeah..."

Kai offered his hand to Neuro. "First, I want to go get some food."

"Can't Zane make it?"

Kai went quiet.

"Sorry..."

"It's not your fault." Kai took Neuro's hand and led him down the streets, walking past several cafÃ©s until Kai suddenly stopped.

"Chen's Noodle House?" Neuro raised an eyebrow at Kai, who ignored him and nearly dragged him into the building.

A man, perhaps late twenties, early thirties, was at the counter, with cinnamon brown hair and cerulean blue eyes. His skin was fair. He looked up. "Well, well, if it isn't Kai Smith!"

"Hey Dareth."

"What you here for? Sushi? Noodles?"

"Dareth, you know I hate sushi, I'll have the omurice. What about you Neuro?"

"Uh... Noodles?"

"Coming right up!" Dareth scarpered into the kitchen, calling to the chef their orders, and then rushing back. "So, Kai, how you doing? Haven't seen you round these parts for nearly a year."

"You could say I was avoiding old friends." He grabbed Dareth's collar, pulling him in. "Where's Skylor?"

She'd left them a little over a week ago now, and, despite what she'd said, she'd left without a favour from Kai, and during the night when Kai'd unusually slept. There'd been no sight of her.

"Has she returned?!"

"She said she had to do some errands for an old friend's friend! She came back and told me she'd be back in a few weeks, that's all!"

Kai let him go, pushing him back. "Neuro, make small talk with him, I'm going to help the chef." He left the seat, walking into the kitchen.

Dareth looked over at Neuro. "Why was he so interested in Skylor?"

"I don't know. He seemed to hate her when she lodged in our house-thing."

"Look, I don't know what happened to fuel that hatred, but Skylor still loves Kai, and she wants him to see that just because her family were evil, it doesn't mean she shouldn't work in her father's shop. She also doubts it's just because they were evil and she works in her father's Noodle House Kai hates her."

"What else could it be?"

"Kai was going to be a blacksmith before becoming a Ninja, like his father intended."

"And?"

"Kai's an orphan."

Kai returned with the food, giving Neuro the noodles and eating his omurice.

Neuro could barely eat it.

* * *

_Hopelessness._

_Fear._

_Defiance._

_He didn't mean to, he wished to tell them, he didn't mean to make the deal with Nadakhan and get imprisoned and leave them all alone. The sword was a prison, he saw Wu and Misako and Clouse all imprisoned and he_ _knew that he'd become like that too. He didn't want to but even he had his limits of power._

_He felt the prison dragging him down._

_He could hear a calm voice, his father's, whispering how everything would be okay, assuring him, and he knew those words from his past._

_"Kai, everything will be fine. Okay? Mummy's had to go now, but everything will be okay."_

_"Kai, it's fine."_

_"Kai... Take my hand."_

_And he almost did..._

_But Father was dead._

_And taking his hand would mean giving up and leaving his sister behind._

_"Kai, promise me something."_

_"Yes, Father?" He'd spoken, and now he said those words again._

_"Never give up. Never leave Nya. Protect her, and let her protect you."_

_"Yes, Father."_

* * *

As they left the Noodle House, Kai was quiet and thinking, and Neuro knew better than to interrupt.

"Neuro?"

"Yes Kai?"

Kai looked down at him, eyes of old age and filled with the past. "Let's say I had a friend."

"Yeah..."

"And he made some bad choices. Let's say he hurt his brother emotionally and was using someone so he'd have someone who loved him. Would you hate him?"

"No."

"Why?"

"He probably had his reasons."

"I see..."

There was a longer period of silence as they walked on, occasionally hiding from the robots.

"How you adjusting to the weapon?"

"What, this?" Neuro gestured to the weapon Beatrix had given him. "It's okay but it needs to be my arm size."

"Fine, we'll get Karloff to adjust it. I need to talk to him again anyways."

"You never did tell me what you were talking to Karloff about."

"I said it was business stuff."

"You're lying."

"How do you know?"

"I just do."

There was a longer period of silence than the last, and Neuro collected his thoughts.

He was thinking about Kai the most, and how wonderful it must have been to be working with him, to see him laugh, smile and enjoy life so much, which he now of course struggled to even attempt nowadays, and what it must have been like to know him as a child.

He hadn't seen many children, but he knew somehow that most were happy little demons that you either loved or despised, usually a mixture of the two where you wanted to throw them off a bridge but be there at the bottom to catch them.

Surely Kai was the same?

And what about Zane, the other Ninja and their Sensei? What were they like then and now?

Where were they?

Where was Beatrix and Ezekiel?

Who was the one who had started this?

What had happened in the incident?

What the fuck was going on now?

What gave him amnesia?

Where was the fourth person who Shadow, Karloff and he had lived with?

Who was his mother?

Who was his father?

Why had he never seen his father?

Why did the scientists kill his mother?

Why was he in hospital when he first came to after the amnesia?

How had Kai contacted him?

How had Kai's parents and everyone else precious to Kai or him who'd been killed, in or out of the apocalypse, died?

Why did Kai ask him about his friend?

"Kai."

"What, Neuro?"

"Where's the fourth person who I lived with?"

Kai went to speak, but a group of cyborgs appeared, seven in the shape of a triange. At the point was a cyborg with a mostly human face, the human having caramel brown hair and red sunglasses on his face, his skin very fair indeed.

Kai gave a small sigh.

"Kai?"

"Well you asked... And there he is."

 

 

 

 

 


End file.
